The War Of The Hunters
by RWBRyan
Summary: A new group has been formed, a fraternity of male hunters. And their foremost goal is the destruction of Artemis and her Hunters. When these two groups clash, who will win. And who is the leader of this new group? Winner of the Best Angst Verita award.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there folks. You may think that by writing this that I am stopping my "Son of a Hunter" story. Well...I am not. This idea has been gnawing at me for some time and I just had to get it out. It will be my second fanfic involving Artemis and the Hunters, as I really simply like the group. **

**We all know that Artemis hates men. We all know that she makes her hunters make the vow to forsake romantic love forever. But what happens when a certain group is formed by a certain man...and one of that groups goals is to annihilate the hunters and to permanently incapacitate Artemis? The War of the Hunters is about to begin...**

Thalia breathed out warm air on her hands, in an attempt to warm her numbing fingers. The air of the winter night was lit bright by the stars, and the air was chilling straight to the marrow. She pulled her hunter clothing tighter across her body. She peered out in search of her prey, a powerful moose that she had been tracking for several hours. But alas, she did not spot him.

She slowly arose from her perch and began to stealthy walk across the snow, taking pains to avoid making any significant noise. Lucky for her, the hunter abilities allowed her to walk almost completely silently, a skill that came in handy during some of her "stickier moments". She stopped and listened for a moment longer, and finally heard something moving in the distant area to her right. She trained her ears to listen for the tell-tale sounds of nature, and answer it did.

The call of a moose sounded aloud, and she grinned in triumph. Her bow formed in her hands, and she began to stealth walk toward the sound, hearing it once again as she approached. Her senses heard the animal snorting and grunting. It clearly was anxious of something, but what it was, she did not know. It gave her pause, actually, to ponder it. She had done nothing to reveal her position. Why would it act like something was close? She trained her senses once again for signs of other wildlife, predators of some kind. But she heightened senses detected nothing, and she was content with that.

She entered the grove of trees and came across a clearing. She looked around for some sign of her quarry, yet it did not reveal itself. She stopped for a moment, wondering what was going on. She had just heard the creature making noise in this very clearing. Where was it? Then she heard another noise. The snapping of a twig. She spun around, looking for movement, but saw nothing. Then she heard another sound, almost like a small chuckle. She raised her bow in it's direction.

"Who's there!" She called. But nothing answered.

She heard light crunching of the snow behind her, and spun around. But all she saw was the sole of a boot that completely filled her vision. She had just enough time for that to register as a boot, when it smashed into her face and she was catapulted backward, to land on her back. But she did not stay down for long. She lunged forward and was on her feet in seconds. Just enough for the assailant to smash his foot into her chest. This time, she managed to see that it was a boy.

Again, she raised herself up, and the boy did not continue his attack. She finally managed to get a good look at him and saw that he was about her age, physically, and had a small sword in his hand, with a small shield strapped across his back. He wore clothes strangely similar to the hunters, only black with red woodland stripes. He had blonde hair and was sharply muscled, though not built like a bodybuilder. His eyes, blue like hers, bore into her with such malice that she was caught off guard by his gaze. He looked at her with pure hatred.

He chuckled, a clearly insulting move. Then his lips formed into a malicious smile, and he tightened his sword in his hand.

"I knew that you hunter bitches couldn't resist the call of prey. You girls are so pushy when you think you have the upper hand."

"Who are you!" She demanded.

"What is it going to matter little hunter, when I run you through?" He snarled. Then he lunged.

Thalia jumped back just in time for his sword to slash through the air, inches from her face. She formed her sword in her own hand and met his next strike with her blade, but when she tried to strike, she was caught off guard by his next blow, which came upon her from above. She back-flipped and tried to get some distance between herself and this boy, but when she straightened herself, she found his blade thrusting at her mid-section. She barely had time to slap it back with her sword, and tried to slash at him, but he parried effortlessly and delivered a slashing cut to her side, which nipped her just below her armpit.

She yelped in pain, but had no chance for recovery, as he was then making a move to cut her head from the rest of her body. She also managed to just barely block it and came to realize that he was toying with her. She made a jump backward, out of breathe, and was relieved to see the boy was also breathing hard, allowing her to gain a few second of rest for a few seconds of his own.

"I guess you aren't all just unskilled little girls after all." he breathed.

Thalia did not know how he was doing it. As a huntress of Artemis, she was suppose to be faster than the average half-blood. She was also suppose to be stronger and have much better coordination. But this boy was forcing her on the defensive, when she was suppose to be pummeling him. He was just a simple boy, and she a hunter. She could logically assume he was a half-blood, but still!

"Why are attacking me!" She yelled, eager to keep him distracted.

"Because the world is a better place without you little bitches of hunters running around. And because he says so..."

"Who?"

"Why do you care? What you should be worried about is the boys of mine coming up behind you."

Thalia whirled. Sure enough, two boys, armed with bows, were approaching from behind her. She knew that she was going to have only one chance to escape, and that was to take them by surprise. She bolted toward them.

When they saw her coming toward them, they smiled, sliding arrows onto their bows. This would be too easy. And that was their undoing, for she chose that moment when they raised their bows to fire to flip over them, forcing them to stay their fire, for fear of accidentally hitting their apparent commander. They snarled curses and whirled around, both firing.

Thalia managed to dodge the arrows, though one nicked her shoulder. She gritted her teeth and ignored the pain, still running.

Behind her, she heard the boys laughing, actually laughing. One of them shouted out.

"You can run bitch, but you can't hide. The Hunters are dead meat!"

She finally managed to reach a sizable distance from them and paused to catch her breathe. She nibbled on a piece of ambrosia, feeling the wounds mend themselves. When her mind cleared she had only one question.

"Who were those boys? And what did he mean that we were _dead meat_?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here is chapter 2. Hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 2: Regroup and plans

Thalia stepped into the center of the clearing and was immediately greeted by one of the guard wolves, which came trotting over to greet her. She chuckled and petted it as it slowly brushed it's tongue against her legs. She gave it one last stroke and moved onward, receiving anxious looks from her sister in arms about her rattled condition. She gave them all nods and they returned to their tasks, and Thalia walked to the center of the camp, to the largest tent there.

Pulling back the flap, she walked into the center of Lady Artemis's personal tent. Animal trophies lined the walls, and rug of bearskin provided a carpet. Laying on her side was Lady Artemis herself, reading a book from an author and age she could not recognize. She was in the form she always used for dealing with her huntresses, the twelve year old girl with breathtaking beauty. She looked up at the approach of her second-in-command, and smiled for a moment.

"Hello Thalia."

Thalia bowed slightly.

"My Lady."

Artemis smiled until she saw the scars of battle upon her huntress. She immediately stood up and walked toward her, placing her hand upon the healed wounds themselves. The Ambrosia that Thalia had eaten on the way back had healed her wounds, though she still bore the marks of her engagement with these boys that attacked her.

"What happened Thalia?"

Thalia began her tale.

"I was hunting some moose that I had discovered earlier. I head it's call from a secluded area of woods and went in pursuit. But it was a trap."

Artemis's eyes widened at the word _trap_. Who would dare attack her lieutenant?

"A boy ambushed me. Several actually."

Artemis growled deep in her throat. Thalia flinched at the uncharacteristic sound her Lady made. Artemis rarely showed outright anger when in the presence of her hunters. She was always very controlled. But when Thalia revealed the gender of her assailants, she seemed to enter a different mode altogether.

"_Boys_ attacked you...by the gods...I should...!"

"My Lady, there is more."

Artemis seemed to calm slightly, which prompted Thalia to continue.

"The group leader attacked me first. He was...well...skilled. Very skilled. It was almost as if he were one of us, or a _very_ good demi-god. He was able to keep me from fighting back almost the whole battle, and that is when his friends came at me with bows. I managed to get by them, but one of them managed to nick me in the shoulder with one of his shots. My lady,at the speed and angle of my escape, that shot would have been impossible for an standard demi-god."

Artemis took the information in. Her expression changed several times during the explanation, from anger to confusion. She slowly sat down upon her bed and thought long and hard about what Thalia had told her. But Thalia was not quite finished.

"Lady Artemis, there is one more thing."

Artemis looked up into Thalia's eyes.

"When I was escaping, one of them shouted something to the effect that they were coming after us. I mean the huntresses my lady. He said we were dead meat."

Artemis growled again. She stood up to her full twelve year old height and walked over to Thalia. She put her hand on each of Thalia's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. Thalia felt the power of the Goddess swirling from her like a tidal wave, and felt a surge of confidence.

* * *

"Worry not, my brave lieutenant. We will find these boys and put them in their place. I estimate that there will be more than enough jackalopes running in the wild.

"Huntress bitch."

Jason snarled his curses even as the trio approached the encampment itself. They had been stalking that miserable lieutenant of Artemis's hunt for several days, and just as they were about to strike, they lost her. Jason could taste victory during the battle, almost bathe in it's sweet power. But just as the two companions with him moved in for the kill, that damn huntress just had to show some serious acrobatic ability and completely evade them. At least Micheal was able to give a wound to her shoulder. That might make them think twice.

"Jason, would you just calm down man. I know it's freaking frustrating but seriously! Just because we lost her this time doesn't mean we'll lose her again. Those little hussies can't evade us forever."

"Yeah dude. We'll make mice meat of them when we fight them at full strength! Those little bitches stand no chance whatsoever," his other companion, Gabriel, added.

Jason still fumed but nodded in understanding. He had been with the hunt for over five years, the first one to join. And in that time, he had never been defeated and never had his prey escaped him. He was not the lieutenant for nothing, and he made that clear whenever one of his fellow hunters made some smart remark. And now this miserable little huntress spoiled his whole record. This was something that was not going to be taken lightly.

They entered the camp of the Hunters. Around them, boys, age 13 to about 17 or 18, sparred and fought with one another. The Lord had them on a tight training regime, hoping to make them the strongest alive. Some boys were doing push-ups and various calisthenics with heavy loads on their backs or chests. Others sparred with swords of double the actual length, an ancient method derived from the training of Imperial Roman Legionaries. And some fought hand-to-hand with their opponent, seeking to deliver punishing blows without actually killing one another.

Jason gave a nod to his companions, and they went off to stash their gear and get training materials. They needed to resharpen themselves after hunting for several days. _A hunt that failed_, Jason thought in bitterness. _Next time I catch that miserable little wench, I will personally make her a head_ _shorter_, he mentally snarled.

About thirty boys had been recruited beside him, and he had had the honor of being the first to welcome all his new brothers to the hunt. They were all spirited young men, who realized that women were worthy only of being breeding sows and other, more "sensual" uses. They also knew that they could not be trusted, as they would reach into your heart, and then become like a harpy, tearing it to pieces and running off with all your possessions. Half of those who had the wisdom to join where of that kind.

_And the immortality is not a bad deal either_, Jason thought to himself. Each and every one of the brothers of the hunt were immortal, unless killed by force. But that was very bloody unlikely, seeing as they were trained with such intensity. Jason stopped to watch a particular pair fight, the two best hand-to-hand fighters. They thrust at each other and dodged kicks and blows. One would beat the other back, and the other would rally himself to fght the other off. Then the process would start again, until both were sweating and bruised to almost no end. But the fight would go on until one was declared the winner.

Finally, the smaller one, Eric, rushed in and managed to get a kick to his opponent's stomach. The older boy staggered, and Eric fell upon his with mammoth blows to his gut and face. His opponent finally fell, defeated, with those who were watching the fight cheering Eric on. Jason made a point of congratulating him later. He needed to report to the Lord for his failure.

He entered the red and black colored tent to find an open fire roasting some butchered deer over it. The Lord of the hunt sat behind the cook as he tended the flames with a long spit. The Lord was sharpening his blade as Jason entered, and he could tell from Jason's expression that he had bad news to give. Still, he did not rise and approach Jason, only allowed Jason to approach and bow down on one knee to him.

"My Lord..."

The Lord did not say a single word, only raised his hand in signal for Jason to rise. Jason did so, but kept his eyes on the ground, not darting to meet His Lord's eyes in light of his failure. Jason slowly gathered his courage and began to speak.

"Micheal, Gabriel and myself tracked the huntress as you ordered. We managed to lure her into a trap utilizing the call of a moose we found her to be tracking. I engaged her in combat, but she proved to be much more resilient than I had anticipated. I managed to distract her just long enough for my brothers to come behind her to deliver a fatal arrow shot, but she managed to evade them before they could deliver the killing blow. She escaped with a wounded shoulder. We could not track her afterward.

The Lord only observed him through those ancient eyes. Every fiber of Jason's being fluttered with the power of his gaze. It was not different then when he was found, helpless after his "mother" had abandoned him to the streets, and made him the first of his hunters. He had been almost like a father to Jason ever since. It had been him who taught Jason to hunt, Jason then taught the first ones to join after him, and so on.

And because of this, the failure of the slaying of the huntress bore down upon Jason like the weight of the world upon Atlas. But here, with his failure confessed and standing before his Lord, the weight of that failure felt almost crushing, like the world was too big. Jason took a deep breathe and waited for his Lord to speak.

His Lord did not say anything at first. He put down his sword and sharpening stone and slowly rose to his great height. The man was huge and powerfully built, like someone who truly had conquered the wilds all those years ago. He approached Jason slowly, and Jason was prepared for a sharp, backhanded blow that he knew he deserved.

But instead, the Lord put his hand on his shoulder and rested it there, like an understanding father that Jason had never known. He gripped him firmly, but did not overly squeeze or give any impression of displeasure. Jason slowly looked up into the ageless eyes, and his Lord smiled at him.

"I knew that the lieutenant that Artemis had chosen was especially good. She is a daughter of Zeus."

Jason's eyes shot up in brief surprise, but he quickly lowered them. Apparently, Zeus got horny under the oath of the River Styx. Never the less, he would still cut her heart out.

"Know this Jason. I have absolute faith in you and all of my brothers. Do not be ashamed of a simple setback, as that will happen from time to time. But know this. You will get a chance to redeem your failure, and kill the lieutenant of the huntresses. And then every single one of them will fall to death's blade."

Jason smiled, feeling his Lord's power.

"And Artemis, the betraying bitch that she is, will finally be imprisoned in Tartarus, forever knowing the price of betrayal."

* * *

Thalia had just finished her report to Artemis. She stepped put into the night's air and breathed it in deeply, feeling relived to be among her sisters, safe and sound. Artemis had put a second task to her, and that was to warn her sisters of the possible danger of these boys. She thought of the best way to tell them and decided to act on it. She raised a whistle and blew it. Immediately the hunters all stopped what they were doing and gathered around her, listening for what the lieutenant had to say.

"Well, I don't really know how to say this, so I will just say it bluntly. Sisters, I have reason to believe that we are being hunted."

Murmurs echoed around her. The huntresses all began to talk amongst themselves, wondering just who would hunt the hunters. _Who _could hunt them? They were the hunters, not the hunted.

"Why do you say these things?"One of the huntresses called out.

"Because it is true. I was attacked by several boys,who were apparently some kind of group. They were skilled, very skilled in the use of weapons, and seemed far superior to any demi-god or mortal I know."

The hunters sneered at the word _boy_. The hatred ran deep in these girls blood.

And so Thalia told them the story of her attack and made it as detailed as possible. The huntresses would frown and sneer at certain parts, and when she finished there was only deadly silence. Thalia had thought she had grown deaf when one of the huntresses spoke.

"What do we do, lieutenant?"

Thalia gave her a grin.

"What we always do. We find out who they are, and then hunt them down. No one can match us in the art of hunting. We are not the hunters of Artemis for nothing!"

The huntresses gave a cheer for those words, and began to wonder back to their previous stations, chatting excitedly about how they were going to find and kill the boys who had attacked Thalia.

Thalia wished she could join in their excitement, but she could not shake the feeling of dread coming over her. The feeling that there was something at work here, something that she could not decipher. The boy she fought was skilled, very skilled. She kept running over the battle itself in her head, and could not think of any reason that he had forced her to retreat. He couldn't be better than her. He was a _boy_. And she a hunter. But the dread was there regardless.

**And so that concludes chapter 2 of the story. I hope you all are enjoying it, and please don't hesitate to review and tell me your thoughts and suggestions if you so wish.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nice. Doubled my reviews with one chapter. Well, I was bored so I decided to begin chapter three. I again hope you will all enjoy. The "War" will begin very soon**.Chapter three:

_Capture and Interrogation_

The three huntresses moved silently through the trees, their footsteps making hardly any noise. They stopped every so often, listening for any sounds, be they human or animal in origin. They detected nothing and continued to move, making sure to lessen any footprints they left behind. The air was still and quiet, save for the occasional hooting of an owl or other such animal.

Lisa moved from tree to tree, never losing contact with her two sisters. One was on point, the other guarding the rear, making sure that no surprises came from behind. Lisa had an arrow resting on her bow and a sword on her hip, and grim determination on her features. Artemis had sent them out ahead of the main group, making a point of sending them out as a team of no less than three.

She listened for another moment and finally caught the sound of something. She hissed just loud enough for the sisters in front and behind her to hear, and they stopped suddenly. Training their ears, they listened as well. And they managed to pick up the sound that Lisa had heard as well.

Something was moving through the woods, and it was defiantly human-like, by the sound of it. She could hear a steady beat of two steps close by each other, indicating two legs. She deciphered that it was coming only a few hundred feet from them, and was running. Running as fast as it could, by the sound. Lisa jerked her head in the direction of the sound, and the hunters set off in pursuit.

They followed at a distance from the now visible figure running through the trees. From the musculature, they could identify a boy about fifteen years old. From the back he seemed to be well-armed, a bow like theirs in his arms and a sword on his back. He had blond hair seeping out from the back of his helmet, and Lisa could identify a tattoo along his arm. _Curious that such a young boy would_ _get a permanent mark on his skin like that_, she thought. But boys never were that smart.

The huntresses followed at a respectful distance, thinking that their superior stamina would enable them to let their quarry tire himself out and strike at his back. But the boy kept running, almost like he was tireless. And after almost thirty minutes of this, the huntresses were getting impatient. They were about to strike on their own initiative, when the boy suddenly whirled around. And before the huntresses could stop completely, He had fired an arrow straight at the huntresses.

The huntress in the lead barely had time to dodge the arrow, utilizing her hunters reflexes to the max to avoid it. The arrow imbedded itself in a tree just inches from her head. And before they had a chance to fire back, the bow had thrown down his bow and fell upon them with his sword. Lisa was quick to answer his challenge with her own.

Their blades crossed and the boy gave her several smashing blows with his sword, which surprised the huntress with his strength. But she was quick and strong as well, giving him retaliatory strikes as fast as he could strike. One of her sisters came up behind him and attempted to stab him through the back, but incredibly, the boy managed to parry hie blow while kicking his foot back behind him, and catching her sister in the chest, sending her flying backward several feet onto her back.

Lisa knew that no ordinary demi-god could have a sixth sense like that But she could not dwell on it, as she was forced to answer more blows from the boy, who was quick to take advantage of any perceived opening. Lisa had her back to a tree and was fighting now for her very life. How this boy could be so good with a blade against a huntress she could not realize. But her luck finally paid off. For at the moment when it looked like he was about to give a fatal blow that she could not block adequately, he forgot to watch his back, and her other sister gave him a good bonk on the top of his helmet, forcing the light from the boys eyes, and he fell to the ground.

Lisa stood breathing heavily for a moment, then sheathed her sword. She gave thanks to her sister who had quite literally saved her life, and examined the boy in front of her. She was shocked to see that he wore clothes similar to her own, only darker and more...no, that was it, darker. He had a black helmet on, and his armor that he wore over his clothes was black with red stripes along the shoulders.

She thought about what to do next. She came up with two possible solutions. One, she could kill him right there. That might save them some trouble. Or two, they bring him to Lady Artemis for interrogation. Thinking ahead to the joy of seeing him turned into a jackolope, she decided upon option two.

She turned to her sisters.

"Help me. We need to bring him before Lad Artemis. She will have some questions for this _thing_."

Her sister agreed and scooped him up, placing him in a kind of over the shoulder carry on Lisa. Lisa's nose scrunched up with the smell of the man, the smell of masculinity. It personally made her sick. But she shouldered on until they reached the current camp...

The camp was busy preparing to leave, when the girls came in with their captured boy. The others swarmed around them, examining the boy and commenting on the strange likeness that he was clothed in, compared to themselves. They made their way through the throng and entered the tent of Lady Artemis, who stood there with Thalia.

Artemis was shocked to see them drag in a boy into her tent, and Thalia made a point of coming next to her. Artemis told them to lay him down by the fire and to restrain him with rope around his wrists and ankles. The huntresses complied, making sure the ropes were tighter than necessary. Artemis then took a closer look at this creature her sisters had brought in, and saw what had shocked them so.

The boys clothing truly was just like her hunters. Her hunters tended to wear clothes of silvery moonlight material. This boy was dressed in the same type, but black as night. He was clothed in armor over his coat, and this armor was black with a red stripe running vertically down each shoulder blade. The huntresses had brought his weapons in with him, and Artemis looked closely at his choice of armaments.

The bow was exactly like those used by the huntresses. But while theirs was silver in color, in contrast, his was black, like his clothing. Artemis picked it up and tested the stringing, and was impressed to feel it so tight. A bow like this would be extremely accurate in battle. And Artemis wondered how good this boy would be in battle with it. She intended to find out.

She regarded the boy for another second before sending Thalia too get some water. Artemis set the boy upright, with his back against a stool. Thalia returned and gave her a bucket of water, smiling, as though she knew what Artemis intended to do. And she was right, for Artemis threw the water onto the boy. Nothing like a bucket of cold water to wake somebody up.

The boy immediately awoke in shock to the cold water. He spat out and cursed.

"Shit..."

He looked up and saw where he was. But strangely, there was no fear on his face. In fact, a smug grin appeared on his face, especially at the sight of Artemis and her lieutenant. He raised his eyebrow in mock surprise.

"Well well well, I never thought I actual would get to see the real Artemis so soon...and you must be her great lieutenant. How is the shoulder?"

Thalia grimaced in phantom pain, but quickly got over it. She approached the boy and grasped his hair, pulling his head back roughly. She looked deep into his eyes and made sure he was under no illusions about what was going to happen.

"The lady will ask you some questions. I expect you to answer them truthfully and quickly. Or else I might be very rough with you. _Very rough_."

"I would be disappointed if you weren't," he said with a half-grin.

Thalia stepped back for a moment and gave him a kick in the gut. The boy snarled another curse and gritted his teeth, but did not cry out. Thalia gave him a small smile.

"See what I mean?"

The boy spat again and looked up at Thalia, this time in pure hatred.

"You say that again, you little whore? I didn't quite catch it."

Thalia gave him a vicious backhanded blow next. Still the boy did not react the way she expected. This time, after he recovered, he only laughed.

"You hit like a girl."

Thalia snarled and raised her hand once again, but this time Artemis called her back. Thalia walked over to take a seat next to the bed, while Artemis walked over to the boy and knelt down, crouching to get close to his face.

"What is your name?"

The boy gave her a look of pure fearlessness. He was either very brave or very stupid. Or maybe both.

"My name is Darren, queen bitch of the universe."

Artemis did not reply to the insult.

"Why have you been attacking my hunters."

"You call a bunch of little girls playing archer hunters? Looks more like they should be in theaters daydreaming about Edward whats-his-butt."

Artemis signed. Then she tried a different approach.

"Alright Darren, I will make you a deal."

"Oh really? Is the great Artemis, the most traitorous little bitch of a goddess going to ask a deal of mere boy?"

Artemis slapped him. She put more force in it then did Thalia, and the boy's head was snapped back. But he still would not give them a yelp or cry of pain. Then Artemis reflected on his words.

"What do you mean I am a traitor?"

The boy looked at her squarely in the eye.

"Oh I know how you girls are. You are like wolves. Beautiful and seductive. And yet the moment a man accepts you, you rip his heart out and sprinkle it over your morning cereal. Actually, your more like Black Widows than anything else."

Artemis was taken back at his words. A mortal had not dared speak to her like that for thousands of years. None would dare even come close to her.

* * *

Artemis looked at Thalia, and exited the tent. Thalia walked over and gave Darren one last blow before leaving.

Darren really had to give it to himself, he pulled it off perfectly. The huntresses actually thought they had captured him. Captured _him_. And that had been their undoing.

"It won't be long now...not long," he said to himself.

He spotted several huntresses giving him death glares from just outside the tent flap.

"Why don't you take a picture you goddamn hussies! It'll last longer!"

* * *

Artemis signed again, Thalia at her side.

"He won't speak, and apparently is very resistant to pain."

"Yes my Lady. It's as if he dosen't care if he is beaten or tortured. He seems to not mind any threats we could give him."

Then Thalia spoke in a more compassionate tone.

"My Lady, what did he mean you were a traitor? Who have you betrayed?"

"No one that I know of Thalia. Whatever that boy speaks, he speaks lies. He is a boy and he cannot be trusted. Keep him under watch at all times. I will decide what to do later."

"Yes, my lady."

* * *

Jason praised Darren's name. The ruse had worked! And now they knew exactly were the huntresses were encamped. It wasn't going to be long now. Soon, the blood would flow like a river from the blood of those miserable wenches. And with their Lord in front of them, the greatest hunter ever to have lived, how could they fail.

The plan was decided. The Lord would occupy Artemis, while the brothers of the Hunt made mice-meat of the huntresses of Artemis. Then they would burn the bodies of those whores, while The Lord incapacitated Artemis and then bound her somewhere, until they could send her to Tartarus.

Thank Gods for modern GPS...

* * *

Artemis was back at it. The boy would not tell them anything of value, despite the several blows he received from Artemis, Thalia, and the several huntresses invited to attend the interrogation. Artemis sat in front of him, and he glared at her from his bloodied face, still glaring hatred at her.

"I grow weary of this, boy. Tell us what we want to know, and I will allow you to leave with your life."

Finally, the boy again smiled. He sat up a little taller and glared at Artemis with a smug grin upon his face.

"Kinda defeat the purpose if you did."

"What do you mean?"

The boy laughed.

"You still don't get it? Dear god, how thick are girls anyway? Why do you think I am captured?"

"Because you lacked the skill to escape my huntresses."

"Bah, I could have diced them easily. I was simply putting on a show, and a good one if I say so myself! Have you ever heard of GPS, little bitch?"

Artemis's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I have."

"Do you know what it stands for?"

"Yes."

"And so you know that a small chip, placed within someone, could be tracked from anywhere on the planet. And so what does that tell you?

Artemis glared.

"Is there a poi-" she froze

Now it all became so clear, so painfully clear. The boy had let himself be captured with a tracking device set on his person. And so if he were being tracked..."

Artemis suddenly shrieked.

"_THALIA, CHECK HIM FOR ANY SMALL DEVICES...NOW_!"

"Your too late..."

Artemis whirled around.

"What do you mean!"

"Because if my calculations are correct and it is time, then the cavalry should be arriving right...about...now."

There was a hollering from the woods. Artemis rushed out to see arrows flying outward from the trees, fired by unknown archers. Most of the wolves fell at the first volley, and a second one sprang from the trees, and Artemis was horrified to see several of them on fire, which hit the tents, causing them to catch immediately.

Her hunters were returning fire in the general direction of the assailants, but could not clearly see their target. And then the battle cry rang out, followed by shouts and jeers.

"HELLO YOU LITTLE BITCHES! TIME TO DIE!"

**WAR! I hope you all enjoyed, and I intend to update the next chapter very soon, detailing the attack and the aftermath itself. But don't let that stop you from reviewing and letting me know how you think it is going! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I am much pleased to see the reviews I have been getting. You folks don't know how truly it makes a writer happy to see his work is appreciated. I am getting happier and happier with all of you! You truly make a fanfiction writers day!**

** Well, here is chapter four. I hope you all are geared up and ready for the big revelation of this chapter. I actually debated revealing this later, but decided that it might have a more powerful effect if it was revealed early and Artemis would know just who it is that has declared open war on her. I hope you all enjoy! This is going to be the longest chapter yet by the way...**

Chapter four: Battle and Revelation

-Artemis-

The arrows shot through the camp with devastating accuracy. Hunters were mostly able to dodge the ones meant for them, but that didn't mean that they were necessarily the main targets. No, some of the arrows were on fire, and that clearly meant the initial shots were meant for the tents. The assailants were obviously attempting to imprison them in fire within their tents and burn them alive. They must not have counted on the hunters being mostly outside packing up. The attack may have come a little later than they wanted, or maybe that is exactly what they wanted, to catch the hunters in the open.

Artemis took all of this in a microsecond. And then her bow formed in her hand, with an arrow already notched upon it. She raised it up to fire and strained all her godly senses to detect the people who would dare attack her huntresses. She spotted a rustling bush in the distance and fired an arrow directly into it, dimly hearing a scream of pain. No more arrows flew from that bush again.

Her huntresses were returning fire as well, but though they had super-human senses due to their powers as hunters, they could not see their assailants. And most were only able to get off a quick shot before ducking behind any cover they could to avoid counter-fire. Arrows were sticking out of every piece of furniture that had not been packed up, and several tents were already ablaze.

In front of Artemis, one of her huntresses had just managed to fire, when an arrow struck her square in the forehead. She was physically twelve, one of Artemis's newer huntresses. Artemis felt a pang of despair at the sight of her falling to the ground, and made a point of securing any of there dead for honorable burial after they fought off this ambush. But at the moment, she needed to worry about the slackening fire from the woods, almost as if the attackers were running out of ammunition. It was just the break they would need to recover.

"Thalia, gather as many hunters as you can and rally around the main tent! Pile as much equipment as you can, and make some kind of fortification...NOW!"

Her lieutenant hurried off to comply, screaming orders and dodging the occasional arrow. Soon, the huntresses were piling tables and other such things around the tent of Artemis, and carrying their several wounded and one dead into the tent itself. Inside Darren, the captured boy, was laughing at the sight of the wounded huntresses.

"What's the matter little girlies? Did you get a bobo?"

Thalia slapped him and warned him to remain quiet, or she would take his "manhood" away. Darren grinned again but remained silent...wisely silent.

Outside, Artemis was still squeezing off the occasional shot from her arrow, but doubted if she hit anything. Whoever had planned this attack had done so perfectly, and the attackers were in the best position available. They were sheltered by the trees, while the huntresses scrambled to make some fortified area within their otherwise open camp. Artemis had turned to enter the makeshift defenses when she heard the mock howling of wolves and war cries. Hearing the footsteps rumbling toward them, she cursed. And summoned her sword to her hip...she might need it very soon.

-Jason-

Jason howled with delight when he realized he scored a fatal hit on the huntress. He had the joy of seeing Lady Artemis herself give a face of sadness at seeing the huntress in front of her fall, arrow in her forehead. He wondered for a moment why a girl would even care if her sister was killed, and then fired again, this time at Lady Artemis herself. But the woman was as nimble as a cat, and was able to rush through their next volley without a single scrape.

His brothers were having the time of their lives, despite the brother killed by Artemis a few seconds earlier. He would say a few words over his body afterward. Jason spied Thalia, the bitch who got away, and grinned in the fact that now there was no where for her to run, and he had the full group of his fellow hunters behind him.

The huntresses seemed to be piling whatever the could get their hands on to make some kind of fortification around the largest tent, which Jason thought to be Artemis's, as well as where they were holding Darren. That boy deserves to have first pick of any captured huntresses tonight, Jason thought. If women were good for something, it was breeding and...well, the "first step" of breeding. But first they needed to get a hold of any huntresses, if they were not all killed when they closed on them.

Throughout this initial phase, the Lord was simply standing there behind a tree, not firing his bow, but calmly watching the huntresses act. The man was a master strategist, especially when hunting tactics were involved. When one thought about it, many jobs in the military though the ages were based off the stalking and ambush of the quarry. And Jason had not doubt that it would be so tonight. Tonight, the huntresses would die. And Artemis would fall from grace.

The Lord raised his hand for the brotherhood to stop firing, and they fired any arrows still on their bows. Then they ceased at his signal. The Lord observed the confusion of the huntresses, seeing that the enemy arrow fire had ceased. And then the Lord turned to them all.

"Brothers...the time is now. The ambush if complete and the huntresses pinned down. When I say the word, one group will lay down suppressing fire, the rest will close in and give them death by the blade...do you all understand?"

The brotherhood howled their compliance. They would happily jump in front of any arrow or blade aimed for their Lord. For it was he who saved them. He who gave them a home, and he who game the a family. And he was their father in so many ways.

The Lord turned toward the huntresses, who were now jumping behind their fortifications. It would do them no good...

"Now Artemis, you will feel the price of betrayal. After thousands of years...you will fall at last..."

He turned to the brothers and gave a huge roar of power. The brothers drew their swords, except for those delegated to remain and continue firing. The Lord himself drew a huge broadsword, and pointed it at the huntresses camp.

"NOW BROTHERS! KILL THEM ALL!"

They charged...

-Thalia-

Thalia heard the battle cries and the rampaging footsteps before they came into view. She gasped at the sight of them. Over twenty boys, armed with swords and some with two, came charging out of the woods. Thalia summoned her bow once more and raised it, aiming for the lead boy. He looked strangle familiar, though she could not see his face. But her arrow never had a chance to fire, as several of arrows whipped past her head, forcing her to duck.

The boys, whoever they were, had placed a group in reserve, obviously to make the huntresses keep their head down while the attack force moved in. And their aim was just as accurate as before, as Thalia heard a cry of pain and saw a huntress with an arrow in her shoulder. Thalia ricked looking up from their makeshift defenses to find the boys already on top of them. She swore and drew her sword.

The first boys over the wall were those wielding two blades. The huntresses managed to summon their swords as well, and a huge melee developed around the tent. Thalia's opponent was a black haired boy about thirteen, and despite his apparent age, he fought almost as good as her. He was wielding just one sword, unlike the others to first jump the barricade, and was able to counter most of her attacks. He obviously was very well-trained, and could thrust and strike at her vital organs with great ferocity.

But Thalia was a daughter of Zeus and a hunter of Artemis as well. Combined with this, the boy had no real chance, skilled as he was. Thalia made a faked blow to his throat, and when the boy raised hs sword to counter it, she thrust it through his armored chest, and made mushy meat of his heart. The boy stood in shock for a moment, and then fell, jerking only once before remaining forever still. Thalia took several deep breathes to calm herself, despite the fact that her sisters were being attacked all around her and some had not fared as well as her.

"Hey, you little bitch! Your gonna to pay for that!"

She whirled to find that boy who first attacked her the other day. He was wielding a single sword as well, but did not look like he needed much else, as a dead huntress, one of their best sword fighters, lay at his feet. The boy spat on the corpse before stepping over her, approaching Thalia with a grin on his face.

"Remember me, huntress whore? You aren't getting away this time!"

Thalia felt a deep, burning rage enter her.

"Well, come on over boy, and show me what you've got!"

The boy snarled his compliance and their blades clashed together with such ferocity that Thalia thought that thunder blasted. She and the boy became as hurricanes, attacking and parrying and stabbing and slashing. The boy would attack and throw her back, then she would rally and throw him back in return. The two of their swords clashed together so hard, that sparks were lying with their blows. The fighting around them seemed to be out of focus around them, as their whole being was concentrated on the sole objective of killing their opponent...

-Artemis-

Artemis never saw it coming.

She never saw the threat these boys presented. She had believed that no man or boy was ever capable of hurting her huntresses. No male would ever even come close, as these were. But her powers seemed be of no use against them. For some reason, whenever she concentrated on turning them into jackolopes, something stopped her. Some power was at work, and she did not like it at all.

And so she did the only thing she could. Fight for her sisters. Fight for their lives, the immortal lives that she had granted, as long as they did not fall to death or love. And she had already failed with several of them, their bodies ignored in the intensity of the fight. But she would not abandon her huntresses, her family.

The boy she had been fighting finally collapsed, his body raked by several cuts. Artemis showed no sympathy as he fell to the ground, wounded and breathing heavily. Artemis would have delivered a death blow to his skull, if not for the fact that he was temporarily out of the fight and her huntresses were being killed around her. As well as the boys attacking them, but not like she cared about them.

She was fighting another, this one with two swords. And he knew how to use them very efficiently, almost as if he were born wielding them. Artemis was forced to dodge blows from one sword and parry the other. She was a goddess and was quite able to fight with swords, despite her favoring the bow. But this boy was trained very well, and knew the advantage of using two swords over one.

Who are these boys, and how have they become such incredible fighters? That question jolted her mind several times during this fight. Her huntresses were unmatched in combat, and she herself was an immortal goddess. But these boys fought almost as if they were just like them. Just as fast, just as strong, and just as nimble. As if they were...gods forbid, _boy_ hunters. That thought left a serious fester of disgust in her mind when she thought it. But she did not dwell upon it, as the boy suddenly jumped back from the attack.

Artemis took a step forward to strike him, but stopped when she sensed something. Something powerful was near, and it was coming right at her. She whirled around to see, through all the fighting, a large, powerfully built man approaching. Artemis sent out her powers in an attempt to enter his mind and see who he was, but found herself unable to do so. It was almost as if he were blocking her. But how?

The stranger approached her still, and it was almost as if the fighting going around him did not even exist, for him at least. The fighters still tangling together, boy male and female, never acknowledged him, nor did he pay any heed of them. It was almost as if he were a ghost that only she could see. He held a sword in one hand and a bow slung upon his back. His armor was identical to the boys around him, and, under his helmet, he wore some kind if cloth that covered everything but his eyes.

The man approached him. Artemis was shocked to see how well he moved, how stealthily. Just like a champion hunter that could hunt anywhere, and anything. Artemis kept getting waves of power emanating from this man, and her heart fluttered in it's wake. The man approached within ten feet of her and then stopped. He said nothing but merely observed her. Again, not one huntress or bot noticed them, but only she.

Artemis steeled herself. She could deduce one thing from this man. It was he who led these boys. He who was leading this attack on her hunt. And so it would be he who paid the ultimate price for this act.

"Who are you!" She demanded.

The stranger remained silent, though his sword slightly raised.

"I, Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, demand that you show your face, you _male_!" She said the last word in disgust.

The stranger did not move toward her at all. But he raised one had to his helmet and carefully removed it. He dropped it to the ground, and placed his hand on the back of his head, slowly pulling off the head wear that was covering most of his face. Artemis steeled herself for battle with this stranger, for once she saw his face, she was going to strike him down and make an example of him.

The man removed his headgear and his head was seen. Shoulder length hair revealed itself, and a slight beard was around on his face. And his eyes bore into hers. He had a smile on, but his eyes told her a different story.

But Artemis could not see this clearly, as her breathe caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words would not work, for her vocal cords seemed to have abandoned her. She struggled to form words for the man in front of her, but could not.

N_o...it's not possible!_

The man smiled at her reaction.

"Hello Artemis..."

Artemis forced her head up and looked at the sky. She trained her eyes for that one constellation. That one reminder of the pain of that day, of the memory of that one member of the male gender that had actually captured her heart. The one so violently ripped from her by her over-protective brother.

And it was not to be found...which could only mean one thing...

She looked back at the man, and said the name that she had not said in so long..

"Orion...It can't...it cannot be..."

"Oh, my Lady Artemis, as you can see, it can quite indeed. And I have waited so long for this moment..."

Artemis felt her chest tighten with suppressed grief. Grief contained for over several thousand years, and now coming back in the worst possible way, in the worst possible situation. How can the fates be so utterly cruel?

"Orion...I don't know how...why are you doing this!" She practically screamed with both rage and grief.

Orion laughed.

"Is it not obvious, my once true love? The world is a far better place without you and the huntresses running around. You go around and speak of female superiority, when we all know that it is simply crazed delusions drawn by a traitorous little goddess."

Artemis almost coughed up her grief filled throat. She could not get words out easily from the inferno her heart had become.

"Orion...I didn't mean to...please..."

Orion raised his sword and took a fighting position.

"It is too late for that Artemis. I loved you. And you tricked me into thinking that you loved me. You toyed with my heart and then killed me when you were finished. And so I will make an example of you and any woman who dare to rend a man's heart to pieces."

He charged with his sword. Artemis barley got over her shock enough to block it. Orion gave her several more slashing blows before Artemis jumped back and put some distance between the two of them. Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Orion..._please_...I _can't_ fight you!"

"And then you shall die, you traitorous bitch!"

Orion redoubled his efforts, striking at her with super-human power. It was almost as if he himself had been made a god, or at least a god-like being. He came a her from all angles, striking and slicing and stabbing. And Artemis was having to use all her power to protect herself. Her tears were affecting her vision, and she could not hold them back.

Orion backed off for a moment to examine his prey. Yes, the goddess of the hunt was now the hunted. Orion smiled at the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"As the mortals say, crocodile tears will get you no where, my dear."

Artemis answered with a sob...yes, a full out cry of torment.

"Orion...please don't...I love you..."

"LYING WHORE! IF YOU LOVED ME YOU WOULD NOT HAVE KILLED ME!"

Orion rushed at her, and then thought better of it. Artemis saw the gears of his mind working, and he smiled a little, feeling satisfaction for some work she could not deduce.

"I think I shall call off this battle...for now. We may get more out of this if we let you and what's left of your huntresses go, just so you can give a little sport to hunt later. And don't think for a second that we cannot find you. For we are the best hunters of existence. And we can track you anywhere..."

Artemis did not reply. Only gave a weak shake of her head.

"Please don't..."

Orion raised his voice to his hunters, calling for an orderly withdraw. But he looked at Artemis in cruelty, a cruelty that Artemis did not think belonged on such a face as his.

"Do not think this is over. We have accomplished our goal. This battle was merely a warning. When we catch you again, there will be no mercy..."

And then he was gone, following his hunters with their somehow super-human speed. Some of them carrying their wounded and dead. But not many. Her huntresses had suffered grievously.

Artemis walked into her tent while her huntresses tended to their wounded and the now smoldering tents. Darren had somehow been rescued, and wounded and dead sisters of hers were laying all about her bed. And Artemis sat onto the bed...and wept harder than she had for millennium.

**Well, that conclude the big fight. Orion has been revealed, and the huntresses have been badly mauled. And the brotherhood still lurks in the shadows, watching and waiting for their chance to completely wipe the huntresses out...**

** Some reviewers caught wind of who it was, and I hope that the revelation, though probably anticipated by many who read, still was very enjoyable. I sincerely try my best, and hope you all liked it...and last but not least...remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Salutations my friends. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 5: Aftermath and planning

Artemis was in a trance...

Well, maybe not a trance as some would call it, but a kind of fading out, lost in thought. The kind of "porthole effect" where the world outside is numbed to anything in the mind and it is waging it's own personal battle within. Artemis was waging here own personal battle...and she was losing. Badly.

Maybe not losing. Maybe that is not the right word. Maybe the better word is "failing". She was failing in her own personal battle. As she sat there, with her legs curled up and her head resting on her knees like a sad little girl. Maybe that was what she was, a sad little girl. She felt like a young girl who had just seen her boyfriend cheating on her. Or dumped her. Yet multiplied a thousand times, as in "lover thousands of years ago has returned to kill you". Which was exactly what happened.

And so she sat there, lost in her own mind, searching for a answer to her problems. She racked her mind for anything that might help with her current predicament, anything at all, but her mind was still playing back the image of her Orion from the past, coming at her with his sword. Every time it played, a tear would flow down her cheek and her lips would quiver, which happened quite often in the last few hours.

How he could do that to her, she did not know. Maybe even a bigger question, how did he return from the stars that she made him of. She knew that part of his soul would watch over the earth from the sky for eternity, and the other in Hades. Could it be a trick of Hades? No, even Hades could not be that cruel. Seeing Orion, a face she still loved, attacking her in an attempt to...well, do something to her, would be something even too heartless for the God of the dead.

She gently let out a muffled cry of emotional torment into her legs. The wounded hunters were being tended too outside next to the fire. The dead huntresses where to be buried with full honors within a few minutes. Artemis could hear the shovels digging into the ground and her keen hearing could even hear the soft whimpers of sadness from the huntress outside awaiting her. Artemis slowly unwrapped herself from her fetal-like position on the bed and slowly walked outside, pulling the flap away and walking into the crowd of her surviving huntresses.

A third of their number had become casualties in the surprise attack. Five wounded and five dead. The wounded were laying on soft mattresses that were laying on the ground near the graves. The five dead huntresses were already in the holes, and the huntresses with shovels were standing next to them, pained expressions on some, others openly weeping.

She looked at her sisters, and felt her own tears threatening to return. But she shoved them away, for she needed to be strong for them. These young girls who had left everything for her, to be immortal and to hunt the beasts of the wild without any interference from the male of their species. And yet it seemed that they were going to be receiving a lot more than simple interference from these new...hunters.

Yes, she would call them as they were. As much as she regretted and wished it not so, these boys were hunters. Maybe not the kind she would have liked to see, considering they were of the wrong gender for a hunter, but they were there nonetheless. And she would see them as hunters, even if they were at war. For they proved that they were, with the hunting down and killing of her friends.

Artemis approached the graves and gazed at the peaceful face of each huntress. She knelt down by each and dropped a coin on their body, for Charon the boatman. She spoke a few words in Greek, a prayer from ancient times. And then she added her own words.

"I am sorry, sisters...please forgive me."

They had trusted her, and she let them die. Die by the hand of the very things they wanted to avoid, boys. And she would carry their faces in her mind for eternity. She would never forget what happened here, and the cost it had placed upon them. She would never forget...

Artemis gave her signal for the gravediggers to begin filling them in, and the sisters began to shovel freshly plowed dirt into the wholes. Many of them crying as they did so, and the sisters in the crowd behind her hugged each other and cried into each others shoulders. Artemis did not say anything to them as she re-entered her tent, intent on settling her own personal demons.

Her thoughts raced back to Orion. Her heart screamed at his face and actions. When he came back, he came back with vengeance in his heart? She could not believe that the man who had confessed his love, and the one man she ever allowed herself to feel love for, had come back with the purpose of destroying everything she held dear.

"Why Orion...why?" She thought to herself. "Why did you come back...why are you hunting me and my sisters down? Why do you have such anger in you, you who was always so calm and collected? I remember the sweetness of you, the tenderness. And yet I remember the ferocity of you on the hunt, how even I at times could not match you...oh, Orion..._why_?"

She said the last word with an agonized cry of pain, not physical, for no physical pain could penetrate this deep. This was a spear right through her heart. Right into the very soul of her immortal being. That man had been the one out an entire world to penetrate her whole belief on men, and touch her heart. And now he was coming to do something to her. She knew that he could not kill her. She was a goddess, and therefore immortal. But what he might do could be far worse, knowing the cunning of Orion.

And worst of all, despite all that had happened...Artemis still loved him. She still loved the man coming to destroy her...somehow. She still loved the man who led the raid on her camp. She still loved the man who indirectly caused the death of some of her hunt. Through all the pain and heartache of this new revelation, she still loved Orion with all her heart.

And that was probably the most painful thing of all...

-Boy Hunter camp, same time-

They stood in a kind of formation, with Jason at the head. Orion stood at the side and allowed Jason to make the most of the ceremonial performances. Jason had already called out each name of the slain hunters, all three of them. He gave a short eulogy on each, and told the assembled hunters that vengeance for their deaths would be swift coming.

Jason was the perfect lieutenant. Orion smiled slightly at the way Jason spoke of his fellow brothers of the hunt. He was passionate at times that it was called for, and then soft and fatherly at the more tender moments. He remembered finding Jason, five years ago, being beaten by his stepmother and older sister, helpless due to being tied up. Orion had scared the two females off, and saved Jason from further torment. And so the first member of the "Brotherhood Of The Hunt" was formed, and it's lieutenant chosen.

Jason did an about-face and bowed his head slightly. The others did the same. They held this pose for several seconds, and then returned to full height. Jason then turned to Orion and nodded his head. It was time for Orion's moment.

Orion walked up to each pyre and laid his hand across the forehead of each brother. He bowed his head deeply and muttered a prayer in ancient Greek. And then he placed two coins on each of their eyes. He repeated the same procedure with the other two brothers, and then walked back to Jason's position, where a hunter next to Jason handed him a torch. Orion walked up to each and lit the pyre afire, the blaze immediately engulfing the corpse upon it.

Orion walked back toward Jason and bowed his head.

"Find peace, brothers."

The hunters around them stayed perfectly silent. It was unmanly to cry during the funeral of a loved one, at least to them. But that did not stop the tears flowing freely down a large amount of faces. But they did not blubber any words of sadness, nor make any weeping cries. The only sign of mourning was the silent flowing of tears down cheeks. They would not weep in the hour of their brothers' entering the afterlife. And the brothers would not want them crying over them.

Orion finished the ceremony and walked back to his tent, lost in thought. He replayed the memory of Artemis crying out to him to stop the battle. Crying out that she actually loved him still, even after thousands of years of it being so blatantly obvious that she betrayed him. It was she who fired the fatal arrow, he had found out after his death. And so he waited in Hades and the stars for a moment when he might be able to take some kind of revenge. And he gained it, with a little help...

He entered his large tent and munched on a piece of chicken on a plate laying on his nightstand. He wondered if he made the right call allowing the huntresses time to regroup, but smile to himself. Of course he did. What is a hunter of he has nothing to hunt? And the huntresses seemed to make the most excellent prey. He loved the thought of them being beaten at their own game.

Jason and several brothers entered the tent and bowed slightly before Lord Orion. They then stood straight still at attention, until Orion gave them leave to sit on the ground before him. He needed to plan their next move...He needed to plan his revenge's next step.

-Artemis-

"We have suffered a great tragedy today Thalia."

"Yes, mistress."

"And so I ask you, do you have any ideas as for out next move?"

Thalia stopped to think for a moment. Artemis could see her debating something within her head and she then finally looked up at Artemis.

"We should probably get Apollo involved."

Artemis's eyes furrowed in wonder.

"Why do you think?"

"My Lady, Apollo is your brother. He always said how no one messes with his sister. And we are in desperate trouble. I don't think that the girls will care if Apollo comes in on this, not after seeing what those _boy hunters_ are able to do to us."

Artemis considered her solution.

"Very well then, I will contact my brother. If I may inquire Thalia, do you wish to talk to your friends at camp? Maybe they can be of some assistance?"

"No my lady. I don't want to call them unless there is dire need. You saw the skill of these boys. I don't want to risk them unless we have no choice."

Artemis nodded. Thalia's protectiveness of her friends had always impressed her, even now.

Artemis dismissed her, and Thalia slowly left to tend to the orders of the day. Artemis laid back on her bed and covered her eyes, now allowing the grief to return. She did not hold it back anymore, only making an effort in front of her huntresses. But she could not hold it in forever, for it would force it's way out anyway. And so she slept that night, tears slowly flowing from her cheeks and staining the pillow, as the image of her Orion still invaded her dreams...

**Well, I hope you all are enjoying it so far. How will Apollo react to the news that Orion, the only lover of his sister, has returned? What is the next move of the Brotherhood? Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for such great thoughts and reviews folks! You guys make it all worth while!**

Chapter 6: Informing the Brother

-Orion-

Orion, The Lord of the Hunt, listened to his top hunters talk their plan through. Orion was actually very content to allow his hunters the ability to come up with their own ideas and plans, and then to omit and add to them as necessary. At the moment Jason was speaking about possibly stalking the huntresses and seeing if they might be able to pick them off in small group, thus avoiding a pitched battle and losing more of their brethren.

One of the others called it "kinda wimpy" and Jason recoiled, asking if the other had a better idea. The boy said that as a matter of fact, he did. He then laid out another ambush of the huntresses while they were all grouped together, and therefore climate them all at once. He said that it would be fun to toy with them for a while. Orion would have loved to keep the thrill of the hunt as long as possible, and therefore intervened that he liked the plan of stalking much more. Jason reluctantly agreed and began to bad-mouth the huntresses once more.

"Those miserable little harlot bitches-"

"Jason, while I know you hate them quite much, I would like to ask a favor of you."

Jason turned and respectfully lowered his voice.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I would like you to tone down your language. I understand that this is the twenty-first century and the way people people speak has changed much since I was dead. But I would like you to tone down you profanity, at least in front of your brothers. It does not portray the professionalism that I see in you to a very great extent."

Jason listened to Orion's words without interrupting in the least. He nodded his head.

"Yes my lord. I will desist from vulgarity if that is your order."

"It is my request." Orion replied. Though coming from him, he knew any o the brotherhood who heard a request from him would consider it an order. Orion smiled at the brother's loyalty.

He dismissed the meeting and the group stood up, made a slight bow, and then left. He heard Jason talking loudly as he left, and then using a "swear" word, with one of his brothers quickly reminding him of "The Lord's order". Orion chuckled at them.

He laid down on his bed and began to ponder the recent moments. The fight with Artemis still played in his mind, and he kept the image of her face when he revealed himself fresh in his mind. He went over every detail, examined as much as he could. And he smile to himself at the way she saw him, as though she was staring at a dead man who had suddenly come back. Which was exactly what had happened.

Artemis was so beautiful he thought. Still in the clothes of a huntress that he remembered from so long ago. He remembered how she was initially repulsed by him, and then gradually came closer and closer to him, until he remembered those four words...those words that had spelled his doom.

"_I love you, Orion..._"

He remembered the joy of it. That the man-hating huntress had actually fallen in love with him. At least, she made him think that. But he also remembered the feeling of her arrow piercing his skull, and the life flowing out of him. And then he remembered being in the stars as well as Hades, with only the longing for revenge in his mind.

She had played him, toyed with him. Made him think that she loved him so deeply. And then when she was done, disposed of him while he took a walk in the sea that was his father's domain...

He sank back on the bed, and allowed himself the peace of sleeping. Dreams of his vengeance would suffice...for now...

-Artemis-

Artemis sat outside her tent, not feeling the cold air on her skin at all. She had already sent the call to her brother to come quickly, and when asked why, she simply said the same thing. She needed her brother now, more than anything.

She wondered what had happened, that could make her need Apollo. She had always thought him annoying and pestering brother, always calling her his "little sister". But now she felt exactly like that, his "little" sister. And now...she needed her brother more than anything. It was almost as if she needed him to just be near her for a while, just to feel protected in his presence. She balked at the thought that she needed protection...at least she _used_ to.

And so she sat there, on a rock outside her tent, while her huntresses where gathered on the other end of the camp, making dinner. There were not speaking with each other, but only cooked and gently held each other when one began to lose their composure and start crying. Her huntresses had always been attuned to her feelings, especially those who had been with her for several centuries. And they felt her pain, especially with the loss of some sisters.

She heard the roar of his sports car coming down and did not look up. She felt completely numb to the world, and she did not hear his footsteps approaching her. But she did see his waist as he stopped in front of her, and she finally looked up. She looked into his eyes and felt her throat tighten.

"Sis...what's wrong?"

Artemis lost it. She stood up and fell into his arms, the arms of her brother. She needed to be held by her family now more than anything, more so than any time ever before.

"Brother...brother...help..." She gently sobbed. She could not force anything else out.

Apollo gave her several strokes down her back, comforting her. She felt a surge of love for her brother, more than any time before. As annoying as he could be, she knew that she could always count on him in her moment's of need. And this exceeded all of those moments put together. She gently sobbed into his shoulder for a while, before he gently extracted himself from her grip and lifted her head to look into her eyes.

"Now sister, what is the matter?"

"I...I...Let's step inside," She indicated the open tent.

They stepped out of the cold into the warmth of her tent. She sat on her bed and Apollo sat across from her, on a chair he pulled up. Artemis kept her eyes on the ground, not looking Apollo in the eyes.

"Apollo...several hours ago, we were attacked."

Apollo sat bolt upright.

"Who would dare!"

"They were boys, a large group of them. They were...I don't know any other way of saying it...hunters."

Apollo tilted his head in confusion.

"What do you mean hunters? You said they were boys."

"I know. But Brother...they were hunters. They seemed to have all the fighting abilities of my huntresses, many even more so. But that is not the worst of it..."

Apollo was visibly shaking in rage. His hands were squeezed so tight that his knuckles went white. His voice became almost booming, and he appeared close to appearing in his godly form.

"Sister...who led this attack on you!"

Artemis could not reply. She simply looked him in the eyes and struggled to say his name..._his_ name.

"_Who did this!_"

"Orion...It was Orion."

The shock on Apollo's face was incredible. He went limp in his chair and his jaw dropped slightly in complete and utter surprise. He looked down to ponder what was just told him, and muttered for several moments. He then looked up, and gazed into his sister's tortured eyes.

"Sister...if it indeed him...how can he be back?"

"I do not know. But now his hunters threaten my huntresses and myself. How they are so powerful hunters I do not know...But it has to be...because of..." She trailed off.

Artemis felt thousands of years of grief flood into her body. Her body was racked with silent sobs, and she almost was convulsing with the sadness that was literally feeling like it was tearing her apart. She remembered the day of his death like a knife in her heart, and felt grief as it had never come upon her before.

She threw her head back and howled her rage and sadness to the winds. And threw it all, Apollo was hit by the words she suddenly directed at him.

"_WHY! WHY DID YOU DO IT!_" Artemis howled in heartbreak.

Apollo could not reply. He kept opening his mouth to say something, anything to relieve his beloved sister of this pain. Pain that he himself caused, all those years ago. But his quick wit had abandoned him.

"_You knew I loved him. You KNEW! And you made me kill him! You knew I was in love with him. Why did you do it Apollo! WHY!"_

She fell to the floor, still in grief. Apollo would usually have caught her in this situation, but decided to allow her to get it out, to let herself cry out all the pain that had been built and held back, only to come back to the fold in the worst way possible. Artemis sobbed in such a way that tore his heart apart.

"Sister...I cared too much for you. I thought that you were about to break your oath to remain a virgin and not married to any man. And so when I saw Orion there, capturing your heart...I could not sit there and do nothing."

"_That is exactly what you should have done! What I did was none of your concern. I was in love with him Apollo...I still am!_"

She howled again in emotional pain that could not be described, and Apollo fell to his knees in front of her now upright body. He fell to his knees and put his hands on the ground. And he begged...he actually begged his sister...

"Artemis...sister...forgive me...please forgive me...I did the wrong thing. I know that now. I never could see the depth of how much you loved him, and yes, it was not my place to interfere. Please sister...forgive me..."

Artemis stifled her crying at this act. Her very own brother was on his knees and bowing in front of her, begging her to forgive him. And she knew that she could never stay angry at him, for he was the only solid stone in a river of dysfunctional Olympians. She stood up and took his shoulders, slowly raising him to look into her immortal eyes.

"Apollo...I forgive you. If you are truly sorry...then I forgive you. That is what a sister does..."

Apollo felt a tear slide down his cheek for his sister, and the pain he caused. And this act of forgiveness, after he had taken the one mortal that she ever would love, ever could love, was too much for him. He reached out and embraced her, as a brother would hold his sister, and she held him as well. Brother and Sister sat there for a moment, holding each other in comforting embraces. She then retracted herself and sat on the bed, tears still fresh on her cheeks.

"Now Brother, what do we do?"

Apollo thought for a moment.

"We must find a way to stop this group."

Artemis nodded, her expression sullen.

"And what of Orion?"

Apollo raised his head and looked her in the eyes.

"Sister...he must be dealt with..."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

Artemis thought for a second, and then raised her voice in a shrill cry.

"_No_!"

"Sister...there is no other way. If he truly wants to hurt you, then you have no choice."

"I won't lose him again Apollo. If he truly has come back...I know I can reason with him. Apollo, I love him. And I will get through to him. I _will_."

Apollo knew how determined his sister could be. That's how he knew she was his sister."

"All right sister. If you still love him enough to find a peaceful settlement with him, then You can try. But If he truly has come back for revenge, then I may have to intervene."

"No Apollo...I don't want you to unless I have no other choice...please give me a chance to save him Apollo. I can't lose him again."

"All right sister...all right."

Apollo slowly trudged back to his car, lost in thought. He thought back to that day that he challenged Artemis to shoot the target in the distance, and remembered the scream of agony when Artemis realized just what she had done. But he thought he was just protecting her, like all brothers do. And now he realized that the mistakes of the past were coming back in what may end as cruel, unforgiving ways...

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed the whole "telling Apollo" segment. I promise action in the next chapter, and the beginning of the brutality of the fight to come...Bless you all, and remember to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gods Bless those who reviewed!**

Chapter seven: Skirmish and recruitment.

Lisa was again in charge of the scouting party, making sure that there were no problems ahead of the main group. She led a party of four others, keeping a distance between each of their sisters, in order to not present a large target to anyone who might be trying to lay an ambush. She was breathing slightly deeper than usual, but still had no time holding the rigorous pace.

Her sisters were spread out behind her, their bows at a ready position, ready to fire, but slightly lowered, in case of an accidental releasing. Lisa had no doubts about her sisters self-control, knowing that they would never dare misfire near one of their own. After all, they were not boys. She ran forward past several more clumps of trees before signaling a lowering of pace. The sisters slowed to a trot, and Lisa scanned the trees above them for any sign of life hiding within. Thankfully, she detected nothing amiss within their leaves.

She still had a phantom pain from the ambush upon their camp. She had been fighting several boys, and one of them managed to nick her in the shoulder with a dagger. She would have immediately whirled around and run him through with her sword, had it not been for the bastard she was fighting in front of her. It was all she could do to have kept him at bay and worry about the boy behind her. She had very nearly lost her life in that fight. She had been alive for over a century, and it was almost snuffed out by a member of the degenerate male gender.

Her lip curled in rage at the memory of the men she had met in her life. She still had dreams about her father, beating her for even the most minor "un-woman" behavior. Of her brothers, treating her like dirt. She remembered being chased by various men, all drunk and cruel. She had joined Artemis on such a night, after the goddess herself had saved her from having her purity taken by such a man.

And now these boys were threatening her life, her sisters. She tightened her grip on her bow and relished the feel of power it sent through her. She was going to make them pay. She was going to make them all pay dearly for the lives of the sisters they had taken. All of them will suffer...

She led her party a little ways more into the darkness of the woods. And her mind wondered again to her beloved mistress, Artemis. Artemis had been visibly shaken by these recent events. Lisa remembered hearing what couldn't be sobs coming from her tent. Lisa shuddered to think that her goddess would ever cry, even for a lost sister, she was very stoic. But she made it clear that she loved them deeply, and Lisa was thoroughly troubled to hear her crying. It was all she and her sisters could do not to walk in and hug her, try to comfort her in some way...

_Noise..._

_ Just a little ahead of them..._

Lisa held up a fist in the air, signaling a full halt to her group. Then she made the sign for "hide", and each huntress dived behind what cover was closest. Lisa strained her ears for the sound, and sure enough, the gentle crunching of what seemed to be boots could be heard approaching their current position. Lisa raised her head slightly and could make out shapes in the dimming twilight, moving in a triangular pattern toward them at a slight angle.

Then she began to make out speech from them.

"...always picked for the scouting party? I mean, why couldn't Jason pick Eric or Mikhail for this stuff? Why is it always us?"

Obviously, she had once again come across the boy hunters. She felt a smile of vengeance cross her lips, and brushed her bow with loving fingers. It seemed her vengeance would be sooner coming than she thought. The boys continued to approach.

"Cause' we obviously are good at it," One of the boys answered the complaining one.

"Well, I won't deny that...but then again, even we get tired of it. We may be immortal, but even we need to take a break and do something different, dontcha' think?"

"If Jason asks it of us, then I will do it," The boy in the front position spoke. He obviously was the leader of the trio, judging by the powerful way he spoke.

"Jason is out lieutenant, second only to the Lord. If he gives a command, I will follow it to the death, unless the Lord overrides him. I for one owe my life to him, and therefore, I will not let him down...now shut up. Your giving away our position with your chattering."

"Sure thing man," The original complainer said.

The boys continued to advance on the huntresses position. Lisa knew they had only a minute or so before they slowly picked their way over to their hiding spot. She turned to her sister around her and signaled to them to spread out and take a semi-circle position around her. The girls nodded their understanding, and moved stealthy to their designated spot, making pains not to break any twigs or make any sounds as they moved. The boys came closer and closer. Lisa raised her bow and took aim at the boy to the left of the leader.

They still had not sensed the huntresses, though if they were indeed the great scouts they admitted themselves to be, it would not be long before they somehow detected the huntresses. Lisa nodded her head, knowing that the huntresses around her would see the motion, and they all systematically raised their bows to the firing position. Lisa waited for the right moment...

The lead boy raised his hand in a signal similar to Lisa's. The two boy hunters next to him stopped cold and waited. The leader jerked his head to the left, then to the right. He then slowly turned his head to face directly toward Lisa's spot.

Lisa felt her heart turn to ice. Did he somehow hear them?

"Do you hear that?" The boy asked.

"Hear what? I don't hear nothin'."

"That shuffling and...breathing..."

The two boys next to him moved their heads around in a similar manner, and then one whispered a loud warning.

"We're not alone..."

Lisa fired.

The arrow flew from her bow in a perfect arch. It raced through the air and buried itself in the eye of the boy on the left of the leader. He stood tall for a moment, as if his body had not registered the fact that an arrow was now in his head. And then he fell, slowly and straight onto his back. But his companions did not stay still, not politely waiting for their own death.

"Shit...Huntresses!" The other boy, the one on the right cried out. The two dashed to the left, dodging the rest of the arrows flying at them from the other four huntresses. Lisa swore at the sight of their speed, knowing that it might be foolhardy to attempt an arrow assault. These boys would be something that had to be dealt with up close and personal. With a cry of rage she drew her sword and rushed out, hearing her fellow huntresses do the same. The two boys had run several feet away from them, and their speed, as she noted, was commendable. But the group of huntresses were gaining on them, and the boys seemed to know that there was no escape.

The two boys whirled around and drew their swords. Lisa was close enough to make out the tough looking faces on the two. One looked about sixteen, and the other she would place at fourteen. Both were wearing the standard black and red version of the huntresses garbs, and they both had swords that were the exact same as theirs. Lisa targeted the smaller one, the fourteen year old. She raised her sword and brought it down toward the boy's head, but he was able to parry it at the last second.

She and another huntress then ganged up on him, each taking a flank and working their way around him, forcing him to block and thrust at two different targets. They herded him away from where his leader was making his stand against three huntresses, and they too were attempting the same tactic. But Lisa knew they had it under control and therefore was able to focus her whole attention upon the younger of the two.

She and her fellow attacked him once again, and they could actually start to see fear in the boys eyes. Lisa relished that thought. That she was actually putting fear into the heart of this boy. He was a part of the group that attacked her camp and killed some of her sisters. He was partly responsible for their deaths. And so he would pay with his life.

Her companion made a feint to his side, forcing him to follow her faked attack. And he left just enough of an opening for Lisa to swing her blade and catch him in the throat, slicing right through the major arteries. The boy's blood flowed feel from the open wound, and he staggered for a moment and collapsed, face first. A puddle of blood began to ooze into the ground, and he twitched once. Then he was still.

Lisa turned to regard the work of her companions fighting the boy and was shocked to see one sister down, a bloody wound on the top of her head, as if he had managed to cleave his sword onto her head. The other two continued to attack, but this boy was far more skilled then the younger one. He swerved and blocked and was still able to get off an occasional thrust or slash at the huntresses. Lisa nodded to her sister next to her, and they both charged in, attacking him in a deadly dance with the other two surviving huntresses.

The boy pushed all his skill and prowess to the max, becoming almost like a whirlwind in the center of them. His blade flashed and blocked their attacks, and he was able to even dodge some that were launched at him by two huntress at once. Lisa knew that with the skill of this one, that he would have to be some veteran of sorts within the boys little group. Or just very well trained.

Lisa made a feint at him and expected one of her sisters to finish him off with a stab of some sort. But he managed to side-step her blade and when her sister thrust her blade out, he slashed it aside with one small stroke and drove his blade as hard as he could into her chest, directly into her heart. The huntresses, physically aged twelve, gasped as she felt the cold metal pierce her heart and dropped her sword, falling upon her stomach. This boy had killed two of her sisters tonight, and Lisa swore that he would not get a third.

She attacked with renewed ferocity, making quickly coordinated strikes to his mid-section. She was like a mother tiger, fighting for the lives of her cubs. The other to sisters fell back to attend their wounded sister, and Lisa attacked the boy with all the strength and skill she possessed, devoid of anything else but the moment.

Finally, she managed to get his sword too high to block, and then brought it down to deliver a swift thrust through the boys armor, right into the gut. He shuddered and grunted, like he was holding in any sign of pain. He dropped his sword and grasped Lisa's blade, still sticking within him. He looked at her with the fiery hatred of Hades itself.

"May You all burn in Hades..." And then he was gone, collapsed and breathed his last sign.

Lisa went to where her fallen sister lay, barely alive. She leaned down and grasped her hand, squeezing it to bring some comfort to her in her final moments.

"I...I' sorry..." The wounded huntress weakly said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sister. Elysium will have you now."

The sister coughed one last time and slowly closed her eyes, allowing death to have her. Her two sister gently picked her body up and laid her tenderly in Lisa's arms. They then picked up their other fallen sister, who had mercifully died much quicker. They began to journey back to where they left Lady Artemis.

The boys could rot where they lay...

-Boys camp-

Orion stood at the edge of the tent's side and gave the signal for the two brothers at the entrance to allow the candidates to enter. The boys walked outside and brought in the three shivering boys from the cold, allowing them to feel the warmth of the fire. Orion smiled at them, showing them that they were welcomed with them. One of the brothers instructed them to kneel before the fire in front of Orion, and to fear nothing, for they were among friends.

These three had been brought to him from a rather vicious orphanage from the nearby town. Several of the brothers had been shopping for supplies when they spotted the orphanage and saw the abuse the boys were undergoing. A elderly woman was beating them severely with a stick-like paddle, and their backs were bloody. The boys were quick to infiltrate the place and make sure the woman got what she deserved. When they revealed the nature of themselves to the three being beaten, they were quick to ask to join them.

And so here they were, bowing before the campfire, in front of the greatest hunter of all time. Orion felt the anxiousness flow off of them, and that only made him smile wider. Only a fool would not feel nervous in these boys current situation, and the fact that they still agreed to the conditions of the brotherhood, showed all he needed to know in order to welcome them.

Jason, his loyal lieutenant, approached the boys from the other side of the fire, with Orion being at an angle behind him. He wore his armor and his sword was in a scabbard, all freshly polished for this moment. He gazed at them in a more serious tone then Orion, and spoke loudly and clearly to them.

"If you all are still content to join the Brotherhood Of The Hunt, then repeat my words exactly. You should know that while you may be granted immunity from death by natural causes, you can still fall into Hades should you die by the hand of another. Knowing this, do you accept?"

Each of the boys said yes in turn. Jason stood even straighter, and looked deeply into each of their eyes as he recited their oath.

"I pledge my loyalty to the Brotherhood Of The Hunt, and to the great hunter Orion. I turn my back on the weakness of women, accept the dangers of immortality at a dagger's edge, and join the Brotherhood."

Each boy recited the oath separately, so that his voice alone may be heard, loud and proud. When all three had made their oath, Jason made a military about-face and stood before Lord Orion.

"Lord Orion, these boys have come before you and have promised their loyalty and companionship. They have accepted immortality at a dagger's edge and have made an oath that cannot be honorably broken. Do you accept their vows?"

Orion stood straighter and approached the boys, who looked upon him in nervous fear. He gave them serious looks at first, and then allowed his face to slowly morph into a calm, caring smile. He allowed each boy to relax at the change of expression, and then made his decision.

Speaking to them all at once he spoke.

"Your vows are accepted."

The fire in front of the boys suddenly flared a foot higher, but the boys did not notice. What they did notice was the sudden intake of power into their bodies. Several of them winced at the feeling, and they all had their eyes tightly closed in the feel of the sensation. And when their new powers were fully within them now, their eyes flew open and one of them gasped at the new feelings soaring through him.

"Welcome to the hunt, my brothers," Orion said.

Jason led the boys away. Orion sat in a chair that was in the corner of the tent, and began to think back to all the times that one or more boys keeled before the fire, and made their oath before him. He smiled at the memory of Jason, the first of his hunters. He had made Jason's oath from the top of his head, basing it off of...no, he would not think of her now. And Jason had customized it into the ceremony that was just performed for these new brothers.

He was lost in thought when he felt a ripple of distraught energy flow through him. He did not know what had happened, but sensed something bad had happened to one of his older brothers. He had always formed a close bond with those who had been with him for a while, and he felt the sensation that something bad had happened to one of them.

As if it were perfectly timed by fate, Darren, the son of Athena who thought up the idea of allowing himself to be captured with a GPS in his clothing, entered. He had an expression of grave sadness upon his face, and approached Orion slowly, then bowing down onto one knee in front of him. His brothers would only do something like that if something was wrong.

"Darren...what has happened?"

Darren kept his eyes on the ground at Orion's feet.

"My lord...the scouting party did not report back in the time zone you designated. We sent several brothers out to search for them...and we found them dead my lord."

"What!"

"Dead sir. Most likely by the hunters of-"

"Don't speak her name now! I do not want to hear of that disgrace of a goddess, not if what you are saying is true!" Orion yelled, very uncharacteristically.

Darren recoiled at the volume and power of Orion's voice. He lowered his head even more and was about to leave the tent before Orion calmed down.

"Darren, please excuse my tone. You have done right in bringing me this news, even if it is as awful as it is. One of my sub-lieutenants are dead. Knowing Gabriel, he fought to the end, and you don't need to tell me that there were no wounds in his back."

Darren eased up his nerves at the calmness of Orion, now that he had vented his anger.

"Darren, I don't believe that I rewarded you for you thinking of the plan that allowed us to locate Artemis's camp. For you to allow yourself to be taken prisoner, and to endure the pains the huntresses inflicted upon you, you deserve the highest commendation I can give you at this moment. Therefore, I declare you my second sub-lieutenant, equal in rank to Micheal, and answerable only to Myself and Jason. Inform Micheal and Jason of your promotion and...inform them of Gabriel's death. I know it will come as a harsh blow to them, seeing as Jason was my first, and he inducted Micheal and Gabriel directly after him. But I want you to tell them, as I may have to grieve for a moment."

Darren bowed down to one knee again, and then left, silently uttering a prayer for Gabriel.

Gabriel had been brought to him alongside Micheal, the other sub-lieutenant. Jason had found them, starved and abandoned by their abusive mother, and had inducted them into the newly formed Brotherhood. Gabriel had always been one of his best and brightest. Orion lit a candle on his nightstand and stared deeply into the flame, imagining Gabriel's face. Of Gabriel and the other two hunters that had fallen.

"Find peace, brothers."

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed chapter seven! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Until next time, run fast, duck low, and wear Kevlar!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 8: dreams and ambush

-Artemis-

Artemis shifted and moved around like a disturbed lioness within the covers of her bed. Images flashed through her mind and her heartbeat quickened. She twisted her head to the left and right, and one could see that she was obviously having a dream of incredible grief.

_She had just completed her brothers dare, winning again, when she saw the strange figure lying at the water's edge. She approached slowly, cautiously. As she came closer she noticed several familiar features about him. His face was one she had seen not a little bit of time ago, and his musculature was exactly like someone she knew very well. And then she got even closer and his face slowly came into view._

_Artemis's bow dropped from her hands in shock. Her lips began to quiver and her eyes began to fill tears. She opened her mouth in a silent cry, and she rushed over to where the body laid, a silver arrow imbedded in his forehead. It could not be!_

_Orion lay dead upon the beach. He apparently had been out at sea and floated back after his limp body was carried ashore. Artemis looked closer at the arrow that was still firmly within his temple, and saw the tell-tale silver markings…clearly one of hers._

_Apollo's dare…the strange object…He didn't…!_

_Artemis fell at Orion's side. Her mouth was still uttering silent screams of emotional pain, and she gently brought her fingers across his face. There could not be any mistaking it now. It was Orion, the Man, the Hunter she had actually fallen in love with. The one male in the world entirely, that had she had allowed to touch her heart._

_Artemis placed his head in her lap and finally began to utter verbal cries. Her sobs were quiet at first, with the grief still new. But they grew more and more, until she could be heard from one end of Crete to the other. How could she have done this? Why did her brother trick her!_

_She placed a trembling hand on Orion's forehead. Her cries had quieted somewhat, but the grief multiplied by ten as she took in full just what she had done. She flung her head back and screamed a cry of the most heartbreaking grief a goddess could ever utter. She let it out for almost a minute before retuning to loud sobbing and cries._

_"No…Please no…"_

_Unknown to her, Apollo shook his head at his sister's grief. Soon, he told himself. Soon, she will understand._

Artemis awoke with a start. She had sweat across her forehead and the sheets clung to her body wetly. She rubbed her eyes and slowly raised herself up, pushing her sheets off as she did. The dawn's light peaked through the opening in her tent's flap and she pulled it back to examine the new day.

Around her, the huntresses were breaking camp, preparing to move to a new campsite. News of the skirmish and killing of the three boys had arrived late last night to Artemis, and Artemis profusely congratulated Lisa for her actions. She had performed the funeral rites for her fallen huntresses and went to sleep. But that dream left her visibly shaken and she stood in the warmth of her brother's sun, allowing her shivering to calm and then dissipate.

"My lady."

She turned to find Thalia next to her, a look of concern on her face. She was supervising the dismantling of a tent next to Artemis's and had seen her emerge shivering from it. Artemis smiled at her lieutenants concern.

"What is it, Thalia?"

"I heard you crying from inside your tent…are you okay?"

Artemis gave her a reassuring smile, a lot more reassuring than she felt.

"Yes Thalia. I am quite alright."

Thalia still had a look of concern upon her face but decided to leave it at that. She returned to her task with her fellows. Artemis looked on through the trees around them and thought she saw something. She strained her eyes to see it better and managed to catch movement in the trees. But before she could utter a sound to her huntresses, the figure vanished.

Later that morning, the hunt was ready to move. They began to move at a brisk jog through the woods to the East, keeping their intervals as not to have a large target for any of those boys, if they were still around. The fact that Lisa and her scouting party had run directly into a scouting party of the boys, meant that the boys could not be far away.

And so they ran as quickly as they could while still maintaining relative silence. Artemis led the group, with Thalia right behind her and the huntresses in group spread out behind them. At times Artemis would call a halt and allow them a moment to drink and catch they're breathe. But she kept those moments brief and would quickly call the huntresses back to the run.

The movement was due to end at an area they had camped before, with a source of fresh water nearby. Artemis kept the pace, pushing them on and on. But the huntresses were almost never short of breathe, as one of the skills they gained when joining was the ability to run with almost no effort. They would be at the new campsite very soon.

-Boys Camp-

Jason never felt so furious.

Gabriel had been one of his closest friends within the brotherhood. It was Jason who had brought him, along with his brother Michael, from the cold unforgiving streets. He had found them huddled in an alley, sheltering themselves from the freezing cold and the rain. It was him who brought them before Lord Orion and allowed them to tell him their story. Lord Orion had shown them a love that they received nothing of from their mother, and they were the second and third to join the Brotherhood of the Hunt.

Now Gabriel was dead. He had been slain by the blade of one of those miserable wenches who actually thought they were hunters. It sickened him, to actually think that they thought of themselves so highly. They were useful only for breeding, and would never have any place in the hierarchy of the world. They deserved none. And that one girl, they're Lieutenant who was a daughter of Zeus…

Jason gritted his teeth in rage and bitterness. Twice he had confronted her. The first time, she was simply lucky. And she was also even luckier the second time, with Orion's call for a withdrawal. He still remembered the fury of that battle, how he had been so consumed with the need to flay her alive, that it was almost better than anything from drugs…not that he would ever touch them.

He pressed onward through the camp, passing several training boys along the way. He stopped to judge a sparring session several times, always making a point of being fair to the combatants and giving advice to the loser for their next attempt. He had come a long way from the broken boy, who lay being beaten by his mother and his older sister, years ago. Not once did he ever imagine being someone who was looked up to, not in the darkness his world was before Orion saved him from it.

He pulled the tent flap back to give his report of the day to Orion, and was shocked to see a woman in the corner of the tent. He was about to draw his weapon out of instinct, before seeing that Orion was in front of her with his back to him, speaking with her. He seemed deep in conversation, and did not notice Jason's entry. Jason stood straight as a rod and examined the girl as close as he could before anyone noticed him

It was not Artemis, which was pretty obvious, as Orion would not have been there having a civil conversation with her. She had a brownish hair color and strange eyes. Jason could not tell what color they were, but they had a strange glow to them. Her clothing was also strange. It was completely black, and was clearly made of leather. She almost radiated darkness, quite unlike that of the brothers. It was a lot more…well, darker.

All this, Jason observed within ten seconds, before the woman turned and noticed him. Jason felt a shock go right through his system as she turned and regarded him. The effect of her was so great that Jason could not help but put his hand on his sword. The woman smiled at this gesture and jerked her head at Jason, to indicate him to Lord Orion in front of her.

"You seem to have company. Well, I have said what I witnessed. I will go now."

Her voice was icy and ancient sounding, almost as if she was from before even most of the gods. Orion turned to look at Jason, who was still in shock and had his hand on his sword. Orion observed Jason's state for a moment and then chuckled.

"You have nothing to fear Jason. She was giving me some information.

"Information?"

"Yes, Jason. Now what is it you wanted to tell me?"

Jason made his report. It was, in fact, that nothing had been spotted that was even remotely huntress related. Except for the skirmish and the loss of the Gabriel and the two others, the huntresses were no where to be found.

Orion just smiled however.

"Worry not Jason. I know where they are, and where they are heading now. Muster the brotherhood. We shall be there to meet them."

Jason wondered for a second how he would have known without a brother telling him. But then, a second later, he remembered the woman in black leather, the one who struck an odd sensation through his body.

"My Lord, who was that woman? And how did she get in here?"

Orion just chuckled and shook his head. Jason was like an old woman at times, so protective he was of his brothers and Orion. Quite unnecessary with Orion, but Orion liked that quality in him none the less.

"You need not be wary of her Jason. She is an "informant" that has been very helpful to me in the past."

Jason still did not understand. He had not seen her at any time he had been with Orion.

Orion then turned serious. Jason could tell that he was now business.

"Jason, you have your orders. Muster the brotherhood and tell them to prepare for battle. Tonight, we deliver vengeance for our fallen brothers of the night before."

Jason smiled in the knowledge. His brothers would soon be resting in peace.

-Artemis-

They were approaching the campsite. Artemis could sense the stillness of the air around them, and the tension behind her in the huntresses was thick enough that you could cut through it with a knife. But she pushed her senses to the max and could find no trace of anything around them.

Artemis called a halt for a last break period. Huntresses around her were now showing fatigue. They had almost endless stamina, but it was just that, _almost_. Thalia sat her pack down and began to take some drinks from her canteen. Then she poured some out and splashed herself over the neck and face, to wash the sweat off. Around her, huntresses were sitting down and catching they're breathe. She watched the area around them for the time they were still, staying alert for any sign of followers and ambushers.

And there, just as she was about to give the command to continue, she heard something in the distance. It was distinct and had to have a definite cause, for it does not happen naturally.

A snapped twig…

Artemis paused with her arm still half-raised. She listened closer and focused her eyes to take in every detail around her. She darted her gaze from one possible spot to the next, lighting fast. She was as still as a rock, and Thalia, next to her, noticed her changed state. She got up warily, her hand on her bow.

"Lady Artemis, what's wrong?"

Artemis did not immediately reply. Her attention was still focused on the surrounding area. Then she heard another twig snap. And what she could swear were voices. She trained her ears, listening for any distinct voices in the now very dim, but audible mix. And then she heard what she dreaded she would. The voices, hushed as they were…were male voices.

"Thalia, we may have company very soon. Get the huntresses on alert…now!" She whispered harshly. Thalia's eyes widened and she turned around, calling for the huntresses to drop what they were doing and grab their weapons. Behind them, huntresses, just as surprised as Thalia, did as they were told.

Artemis heard one last bit of movement to their left flank. She whirled in that direction and gazed strongly at the sounds she heard. Then her eyes caught something moving in the bush, just for an instance.

A flash of Black and Red…

"Take Cover!" She cried.

Around her, huntresses dived behind trees, behind stacks of gear, or simply flattened themselves on the ground, presenting as small a target as possible. A volley of arrows flew from the underbrush, and Artemis heard a cry of pain from somewhere down the Huntresses improvised battle line. But she could not divert her attention, not while they were still being attacked.

As more arrows came at them, the boys rushed out to attack. They used the same attack pattern that they attacked the camp with, arrows covering fire while another, larger group moved in with their swords. And it was a time-proven attack, holding most of the huntresses down and forcing them to draw swords as the boys advanced upon their position. Artemis however, was able to fire off a shot into the left side of a boy advancing upon her personally, the arrow actually impaling him, and he screamed out his agony as he fell.

She drew her sword to use in the now occurring melee. She would not allow her huntresses to be killed in as great a number as they have lately. Her numbers had been diminished quiet enough, and she was not going to tolerate another death. She advanced on a boy who was fighting Thalia, only to have someone very familiar step into her path.

Oh gods…it was him.

Orion stood in front of her and held his large broadsword in front of him, the sharp end pointing down at her waistline for the moment. He had a smile on his face, usually used when he was about to make a shot that could not miss. She loved that smile, and her heart shattered at the sight.

"Well, we meet again Artemis. Only this time, I do not think I will be leaving you in peace."

Emotions ran through Artemis faster than an arrow through the heart. But with the current situation and who she was about to fight, she might have preferred the arrow. Her eyes did not water with tears this time, but a lump formed in her throat. She held weakly onto her sword, as if the will to use it had been diminished by his arrival.

"Orion…there is no need for this. Please allow me to explain what happened…"

"There is nothing to explain Artemis. There is only revenge. Revenge for the traitorous way you killed me, all those centuries ago…"

"Orion, I did not mean to! I was-"

"I did not come to here you blubber Artemis. I came for my revenge."

"Orion PLEASE let me explain!"

But he did not listen, he simply swiped at her chest with his sword, and she jumped back from the blades arch. Orion came at her once again, and she was forced to parry several powerful blows from the left and right. Orion struck at her from above, and she raised her sword to block. Their blades met and Orion tried to push down, barely making progress due to Artemis's godhood and emotional state. Artemis tried to speak to him from under their blades.

"Orion, for the love we had, please hear me out! Stop this before it is too late!"

"I will never rest Artemis, until I have avenged myself and destroyed these pathetic little wenches you call hunters!"

"Orion, I did not mean to hurt you! I was tricked!"

"LIE!"

Orion released pressure from the duel above and gave a sweeping cut at her from below her waist, forcing her to leap and doge the blow. She then lashed out, and gave a cut across his lower shoulder, beneath the armor. Orion grunted in pain but did no ease his attacks, swiping from all directions at her head and neck.

Artemis was now crying. Tears flowed down her cheeks with every blow she and Orion shared. Memories of their moments under the moonlight flashed through her mind. She remembered his confession that he was in love with her, and with startling revelation on her part, that she was in love with him. And she remembered that first kiss on that night, how it was the first time she ever had kissed any male beside a friendly exchange with her brother.

Orion attacked again and again. But Artemis was using her powers as far as she could push them, dodging and parrying. Orion was practically howling with rage and stabbed at her gut. But Artemis was ready for the attack and managed to push aside his thrust with her blade, kick her foot out and kick it off balance. And shove Orion to the ground, using a burst of her goddess strength.

Orion's sword lay several feet out of his grasp. He would know that it would be suicide to make a move for it. But Artemis could not do it, even if he did make an attempt to retrieve it. She had suffered much in her life. Losses of her huntresses, especially Zoë, had been hard burdens to have. But Orion's death, millennia ago, was still the most agonizing wound upon her heart, and here he was, somehow returned to her. But not in the way or manner she would have liked.

Orion glared defiance up at her from the ground. His muscles were still tense, as if he was prepared to fight without his weapon or not. Artemis gazed into the eyes of the man she once loved…no…still loved, and saw the fires of hatred within them. Fresh tears coursed down her cheeks at the look he gave her. Someone like him should not have been giving her looks of hate…

Then she had an idea. Orion was lying upon the ground, the battle between their respective groups raging around them. If she could just get a minute of breathing room, she could _show_ him what she was trying to tell him. If Orion would allow it, she could try to put the images of her memories in his mind, take him back to that day of his death. And if he saw what had really happened, would he finally stop this madness? Artemis looked down upon him, and knew that she just had to try.

"Orion, listen to me. I am going to show you what you have been refusing to see. I will touch your mind and show you my memories. I will show you that it was only an accident. And then you will call off your boys and stop this bloodshed."

"Rot in Tartarus, Artemis!" Orion shot back, tearing her heart to pieces. But she refused to let that dampen her resolve. If Orion saw what she was going to show him, then surely he will come to his senses. She refused to believe otherwise.

"Brace yourself Orion. Soon you will see the truth…"

She reached her hand toward Orion. Orion backed off initially, but then a curious thought came upon him, and he stood still, allowing Artemis's hand to come closer. Artemis gathered power around her, in order to make the memory transfer go smoothly.

But just as she was about to touch his forehead, a blade swooped toward her, and Artemis snarled in rage at the boy who swung it. The boy stood over Orion and assumed a battle stance, as though he were daring Artemis to come closer. Artemis glared daggers at the boy, while Orion looked up in amazement.

"Jason…?" He wondered aloud.

The boy continued to glare at Artemis.

"You stay away from him, you miserable little huntresses bitch!" The boy screamed.

Artemis felt a surge of rage at his words. How dare a boy insult her like that! But she had had enough of this bloodshed between her and Orion's groups. This boy was obviously very dedicated to Orion, and Artemis felt it more prudent to reason with him. She saw a strange cloth around his bicep, and guessed that this may be a commander in Orion's company of boys.

"I was not going to hurt him, _boy_. I was only going to show him memories, something to make him call off this fight. It might just save your life…" She said the last words coldly, and raised her sword in support.

The boy looked at her sword for a moment, and then surprisingly grinned.

"As I said, you pathetic wench…you are not touching him."

And then he charged.

-Jason-

Jason had been fighting one of the huntresses when he saw Orion fall. He quickly redoubled his efforts and gave the huntress a blow to the back of the head with his sword's handle, knocking her out cold, as he did not have time fir a death blow. He saw Artemis taunting his Lord, and a fire burned in him hotter than the pits of Tartarus.

When he saw Artemis lean out a hand to his Lord, and Orion too hurt, or too dazed to resist, Jason had taken action, attempting to take her hand off at the wrist. Sadly, she just barely moved it away. Jason now stood, facing the goddess of the hunt, the reason for his lord's previous death, and got ready to fight.

He did not know what his chances would be in a fight against a goddess. He cycled through every sparring session he had done with Lord Orion, back when he himself was but a pupil. Orion had toughened him by constantly beating him in every battle, not afraid to deliver blows that knocked him flat and bruised him badly. But Jason always got up after these, and continued to attack, Orion smiling as he did so.

And now he stood in defense of his Lord, who moved beneath him, retrieving his sword from the ground. Artemis taunted him by actually implying she was simply trying to make peace with him, and actually threatening him by her gestures. But goddess or not, she was not going to hurt his Lord anymore. He would see to that.

With a cry of battle to steel himself, he charged and attacked Artemis with everything he had. Artemis spun and flipped and parried, not going on the offensive against him. Jason did not take this for granted, as it might very well have been a feint. And so he kept pounding away at her, swirling along with her and meeting her with his sword swinging and thrusting. Artemis was good, a goddess would be so. But Jason felt he had the upper hand in this fight, and he pressed it with all the strength he possessed.

Then Artemis feinted to his left, and as he braced for an attack on that side, she lashed out a foot and seeped him off his feet. Jason tried to move, but Artemis stabbed a sword into the ground in front of him as he did so, forcing him to try the other direction and finding the same results. Artemis glared down upon him and held her sword at his throat, cold nothing in her eyes.

"You did not actually think you could have defeated me, did you? Your attempt was very valiant, and I will commend you on that. It is not something I give often to a boy. But your attempt was futile. I was trying to stop this violence, not hurt Orion."

"Lies…you women are full of it…"

Artemis opened her mouth to reply, but Orion was suddenly upon her. He had rearmed himself and attacked with incredible ferocity, fighting for what he believed was the life of his trusted lieutenant. He struck at her from all angles and corners, and Artemis reeled under his attack. Orion was letting out his battle cry as he did so, the call echoing across the field where hunter and huntress were locked in mortal struggle. Artemis was letting out a cry as well, but it was grief rather than rage that she let the world hear.

Finally, she back flipped a good twenty feet with her powers and faced Orion, her sword in her hand and a sob on her lips. Her heart had taken much in the past few days, but Orion coming at her with his sword had been too much. She stared at him, and he smiled in satisfaction.

"It would seem that we are evenly matched."

"Orion, PLEASE!"

"No Artemis. I vowed I would never rest until we had finished our battle. Now let it be done."

He was about to rush when a distant rumble was felt through the woods. Orion stopped in mid-charge and looked out across the horizon. A bright light was approaching from the sky, and it looked distinctly like…like a…

"Apollo?" Artemis whispered to herself.

Orion flashed back to her, his face a living mask of rage. He snarled a curse and turned toward his brothers, still fighting the huntresses with equal vigor.

"Fall Back! Fall Back!"

The boys obeyed, giving several more blows to the huntresses before whirling around to run back to the safety of the woods. Orion stayed several more seconds to glare at Artemis.

"So you would call in your beloved brother to fight you battles…you are more of a coward than I thought Artemis."

"I didn't….I did not summon him Orion…please stay and let me-"

But Orion was already gone, sprinting after his brothers with startling speed…

-Artemis-

Artemis stood there, the light from her brother's sports car reflecting off of her. She had come so close, so close to reaching into his mind and showing him what had really happened all those centuries ago. She had almost re-claimed the man she loved, the only man she would ever love. And, by circumstance or fate, it had been snatched away from her, just like Orion had been by her brother's protectiveness.

Apollo ran up to her, clad in his armor. He had clearly meant to be here earlier, but apparently, for some reason been delayed. He stood in front of Artemis and gazed into her eyes, looking for some sign of remaining sanity.

"Sis, I got here as soon as I sensed it…I'm sorry I'm late…what happened?"

Artemis could only stare blankly at him, her heart too broken to reply…

**I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter! Remember to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**How is it going folks? Life been treating you good? Well, here is the next chapter, uploaded just for you. It may be a bit short though, as I don't have all that much time.**

Chapter 9: Ultimatums

-Boys Camp-

"_TO HADES WITH APOLLO_!"

Jason paced around the tent of Orion, furiously muttering to himself and occasionally letting out an angry outburst or rant. It had been an hour since Apollo's arrival had forced the Brotherhood's retreat, and Jason did not like that fact one bit. But Orion was right to signal the recall, as they could not battle two gods along with the huntresses. It still rubbed sore on Jason though.

Orion sat at the corner of his bed, contemplating the battle himself. He had actually been bested by Artemis and would have fallen prey to whatever she was about to do, if Jason had not jumped in and protected him for those crucial minutes. Orion was furious at his failure to finally get his revenge, though he was immensely grateful to Jason for his timely arrival in the nick of time. Orion vowed that he would not underestimate Artemis later. Clearly, over three thousand years since he had been killed had done her battle skills well.

Nor would he ever underestimate Jason. He had been gathering himself on the ground, recovering from his temporary defeat by Artemis's hand, while Jason battled her himself. Orion had watched the struggle from his position, and even he was amazed by the skill of Jason, for no mere mortal would have lasted as long against Artemis. But the powers of becoming part of the Brotherhood Of The Hunt, combined with the training he received personally from Orion, had apparently enabled him to make a stand right when it was needed.

But he still needed to work on his self-control, however…

"If that freaking sun god had not just conveniently chosen to come right at that moment, we could have bagged Artemis and either killed off or drove off those miserable excuses of hunters. But oh no, he just had to come right at that moment. It's almost like he timed the whole thing! GAAAHHH!"

Darren just sat on the ground in a corner of the tent, one leg curled up and the other laying out, and watched Jason pace, somewhat lost in thought himself. But he had had enough of the ranting.

"Gods Jason, chill. We had a setback. We'll get her next time."

Jason whirled, anger in his eyes.

"Next time, they will be more alert than anything else! And who knows, she may even be recruiting more than just little girls playing hunter. We know about that camp of theirs, Camp-Half Butt."

"Blood" Darren corrected.

"I don't care what the freaking place is called! I just know that she had allies there, and she probably will ask for their help…besides, she knows her hunters are no match for us in fair combat," He said, a smile at his little jest on his face.

Darren, despite his disagreements, could not help but grin at Jason's jest as well. He sat a little straighter in his position, and looked over at Lord Orion, who still simply stood back and observed the scene.

"My lord, if I may ask, what was it that Artemis planned to do to you?"

Orion closed his eyes and leaned his head back to think. Artemis was attempting to touch his forehead with her fingers, saying she was going to show him something. Something about the truth of what happened. But he refused, knowing just what had happened that day. He still remembered the last thing he saw on Earth, her arrow coming straight at him. He had received visions as well from his little helper in this matter, someone his brothers did not know about. She had shown him dead on the beach, with what was clearly Artemis's arrow in his forehead.

No, Artemis was going to show him a lie. Anything to make him see sense and call off the carnage his brothers were wrecking upon her beloved huntresses. As if he would ever trust a traitor. Someone who said she actually loved him….

He opened his eyes and faced Darren. The son of Athena had shown great promise in his early career of being a sub-lieutenant. It was he who had come up with the GPS idea. Orion would not lie to him, nor to any of his brothers.

"Artemis said…that she was going to show me something. She said she was going to show me the truth."

Darren raised his head a little higher in confusion. Jason stopped pacing and stared as well. Michael, the other sub-lieutenant, also perked up from his lax, standing position at the other corner of the tent.

"Show you what, my lord?"

"Exactly what I said, the truth. But you need not worry about me, brothers. I know what is true and what is a lie. And I pledge to you, that Artemis must fall if we are to be able to continue our existence unhindered.

There was a collective nodding.

"Why don't you all get some sleep? We have had a rough day, and the battle has drained us. Jason set up sentries and rotations. Then get some rest yourself," he commanded.

The sub-lieutenants got up and walked out to before their last-minute duties. Jason turned to leave, but as he reached the flap of the tent, Orion called him back for a moment.

"Jason, there is something I must say to you."

Jason made a half-turn, looking back at Orion. Orion smiled.

"Jason, I do not know what Artemis would have down to me while I lay helpless on the ground, disarmed and with her blade at my throat. I thank you for coming to my aid, brother. Very few would have had the courage to stand up to an angry goddess for the sake of another. I thank you for that.'

Jason nodded, then replied.

"You are a father to us all. Any one of us would have done it without hesitation. I was just right there when it happened."

Orion nodded and smiled, then gave him a dismissive nod. Jason then left.

Orion slowly lay down on his bed. He did not bother to get under the covers; He never was much of a lover of curling beneath them anyway. He preferred the warmth of the fire in the center of his tent as his blanket and the sound of nature to be his lullaby.

He lay there, still playing images of the battle in his mind. But every time he did so, his mind seemed to pause on Artemis, with her blade at his throat. She could have easily ended him right there, if that was possible with his current…condition. Instead she had reached out her hand to transmit memories to him, to show him whatever she wanted to show him. Orion was thoroughly convinced that she was a traitor. He had seen the image of her arrow in his forehead, given to him by the one who brought him back.

But if that was the case, if she truly wanted to cause him more pain, then why did she not simply kill him and get it over with. Artemis never was one to torture anyone. She probably would not have the stomach. But the thought of the moment and the look upon Artemis's face was…strange. Almost like she was trying to fool him into thinking she still loved him and was trying to save him…

_Lies…_

He slowly closed his eyes…

_Orion stood next to Artemis, the waves crashing along the shore of the island nation. He was dressed in his hunting gear; a kill freshly dressed lying behind them. Orion breathed deeply of the sea's smell and the spray splashing his face, and then turned to smile at the goddess standing next to him. Artemis turned and tried not to smile in return, but looking into Orion's eyes, she could not resist the smile that slowly broke out over her face._

_"I knew you would smile, my lady. It would be a crime not to, with a face such as yours."_

_Artemis laughed. Orion loved the sound of her laughter, like all the animals calls mixed into one, combining a beautiful melody that resounded through his heart. _

_"You are one to be talking about smiles, Orion," She replied._

_Orion's smile grew wider. He saw himself as the most fortunate man ever to walk underneath the god's view, if he had truly was the subject of the huntresses love. He could dance around the moon he saw within her eyes…_

_Artemis turned to go. She sensed her brother arriving for a hunt. She turned to gaze into Orion's eyes, the smile smaller, yet even better than before. _

_"My brother is here Orion. I am afraid we must part ways now."_

_"I understand my lady…I will be going for a walk upon my father domain. I trust we shall meet again?"_

_"On that, you can be sure of."_

_"Very well. Goodbye for now Artemis…I love you."_

_Artemis looked into his eyes for a moment._

_"I love you too…Orion."_

_Then she was gone, just like that. Orion signed and glanced at his kill, laying there next to their camp. Then he turned toward the ocean and began to walk into it, the water offering no resistance. His father's blood allowing him to move effortlessly within it, and he quickly swam out to the sea, taking his exercise for the day. _

_He had swum out a considerable distance when he turned back toward Crete. He saw something heading toward him, but he could not immediately identify it. But it headed toward him extremely fast, and Orion's eyes bulged as he found it to be an arrow, coming right at his head. He opened his mouth to scream, but the arrow had already plunged into his temple, cutting it off instantly. He felt life quickly flowing out from him, and he went limp. His last thoughts were of Artemis, and those eyes he had fallen so deeply in love with…_

**Well, I better end it there, seeing as I will have to get off shortly. I hope you all enjoyed this brief chapter. I won't be updating for a while, as I am leaving for vacation with family to Colorado. I promise that I will make updating this my top priority when I return. Until then, duck low, run fast, and wear Kevlar! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews folks! You make a writers day!**

Chapter 10: Sending for help

It had been one hour passed since Apollo's arrival had forced the boy's to call off their attack and withdraw. The huntresses though battered and bruised, had suffered no significant casualties. But Artemis was pained to find that one of them was missing and could not be accounted for. She ordered a brief search for the missing huntress, but no trace of her could be found. Despite her feelings in the matter, Artemis knew that she could not afford to wait any longer, and led her huntresses to the safety of their new camp, with Apollo in tow.

Artemis watched as her huntresses set up camp. Just several weeks ago, these girls were vigorous and feared nothing. Now they were noticeably slower in setting up the tents and other commodities. Seven out of their original number, not counting the missing sister, had fallen in just the past week, cutting her number down to 23.

Artemis was even more pained to see the fear in their eyes. It shocked her more than anything, that these girls she had seen face down monsters that would make others tremble and run, would be so restless and nervous. Their eyes would jump to the sides of their view for no apparent reason, and they constantly looked up and scanned the border of the camp for any sign of an approaching group.

Because of this new behavior, they were noticeably slower in setting up camp. Even with Apollo there, they seemed hardly reassured. As they set up camp, they would jump at the slightest noise and some would drop whatever they were doing and draw their weapons, and then came a slow, tense moment of anticipation. They would hold this pose for a minute before signing and returning to their work, still glancing up at the surrounding area. The wolves and falcons that used to guard the camp had been killed with the first attack, and so Artemis was forced to order sentries to patrol the area around their temporary encampment.

Her tent was finally set up and its furniture moved within, and she entered it slowly, sitting upon the corner of her bed, as she has done so often in the past few days. Ever since Orion, the first and only man she would ever love, had returned, she had felt as though she were lost within an inferno. A hot fire burned her mind and her thoughts were filled with sorrow and regret. The Fates might be laughing now at the feelings they had caused her to feel, feelings that she had not felt for thousands of years.

The several wounded were being attended to in the tent next to her, and she heard a wail of pain as what might have been an arrow was removed from one of her huntresses. She knew Apollo would be attending them and would quickly ease the poor girls suffering. Sure enough, the cries coming from the next tent quickly died down and Artemis allowed a smile of gratitude for her brother to cross her face for just a moment.

Her thoughts came back to her latest confrontation with Orion, and the way she had come so close to showing him the truth. She simply refused to believe that he truly believed her to be the culprit of his death. She may have been the one to fire the fatal arrow, but surely he was being told that she had done so deliberately. He had to be being tricked by something she did not yet know, some trick of another god or so. Orion had always been so clear minded and sharp witted. Artemis was positive that he had to be being fooled by an outside source.

She did not have to glance up to know that Apollo had just returned from treating the wounded and stood at the entrance of the tent, concern on his face.

"Sis, may I come in?"

She nodded, her eyes not leaving the ground.

Apollo entered and sat on a wooden chair next to the newly lit fire in the center. He crossed his arms and stared into the blaze, as though the fire itself was giving him a new prophecy. Finally he looked up.

"Are you alright sister?"

"I'm fine," Artemis replied a little too automatically.

Apollo did not pressure her though, and continued to look into the fire.

"I was so close," Artemis whispered to herself.

Apollo raised his head again.

"Yeah…you were so close to getting shish-ka-bobbed by whatever Orion has become."

Artemis's head raised up quickly and her eyes flared with anger. Apollo's eyes widened at her expression.

"I was so close to making him see reason. If that boy had no attacked and thrown me off, I could have shown him the truth of what happened! The truth of what _you_ did! Even then, when Orion recovered I still could have…" She trailed off, the fire dying down in her heart.

When she began to yell at him, Apollo lowered his head. He closed his eyes when she said "the truth of what _you_ did". Artemis breathed in and out slowly, trying to regain her composure. But then she slowly signed and looked at her brother again, her rage broken over a recent fact.

"Apollo…if you had not come when you did, regardless of my personal feelings, some, if not all, of my huntresses could be dead. I thank you for that."

Apollo gave a sad smile at her moment of gratitude.

"Happy to be of service, sis."

Artemis nodded.

Artemis still could not believe that Orion had almost beaten her. Very few could have been able to fight an immortal Olympian so efficiently. Even though she had initially bested him, his warriors were in a league of their own. She had never seen boys with the skills and prowess that they demonstrated. They fought like a pack of well-coordinated, yet utterly ferocious wolves. One of them had arisen to defend Orion from what he saw as Artemis's attempted death blow, and had attacked the goddess himself. Artemis was shocked at the level of loyalty they had, which rivaled her huntresses. Artemis pondered just how Orion had come to raise such fine warriors, but this led to a shocking conclusion.

She had debated ignoring Thalia's worries and sending for help from Camp Half-Blood several times. But Thalia had warned about the skill of these boys, and Artemis herself could see that from the skill they showed, very few of the campers could stand up to them. They seemed to have the sword skill of Ares children, the bow skill of Apollo's children, and the strategic minds of Athena's children. The boy who had fought her away from Orion demonstrated all of these characteristics. Artemis still wondered how a mere boy could have at least distracted her from Orion, but it gave a clear warning that they were utterly lethal in combat.

But these were difficult times, and her huntresses were at the edge. They had just barely been able to hold the boys back, and Artemis knew that, however this ended, it would end in bloodshed. And she feared her huntresses would shed the bulk of it. Unless she could summon help from somewhere, Camp Half-Blood seemed the only place she could do so. The other gods would not be able to provide much assistance, and several of them would probably laugh in her face. Hera had always hated her, and Aphrodite would have loved to see her dissipated to the fields of Tartarus.

And so her mind was made up.

"Apollo, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, lil' sister."

"I would like you to go to Camp Half-Blood and gather what support you think can help us. Talk with Chiron about our current situation, and request him to allow you to petition those fighters that you judge to be the most skilled. If they wish to help us, then we would gladly accept. But if they do not wish to, then they are free to stay."

Apollo nodded.

"So you will accept help from boys then?"

Artemis shuddered at the knowledge that there would be boys in that group, especially with the far more war-like tendencies of the male gender. But she needed help, and if it would save her huntresses…

"Yes Apollo. Anyone who is skilled enough who wished to help may come do so."

Apollo nodded and left to return to his sun car.

"Apollo!"

Apollo turned, waiting for the last minute instructions

"Wait in your sun-car, I will be sending someone to help you appeal. I feel she may be of great help."

Apollo nodded.

Artemis sent a call out and her loyal lieutenant arrived a minute later.

"You called for me, my lady?" Thalia asked.

"Yes Thalia, please listen to me."

Thalia nodded and stood straight, the desperation she detected in Artemis's voice shocking her.

"Thalia, I know that you have strong feelings about your friends at Camp Half-Blood. I know that you do not wish to see them hurt, and your protectiveness is admirable. But Thalia, I ask you to put aside those feelings for just a while, and go with Apollo to ask for their help."

Thalia's eyes widened.

"But Lady Artemis-!"

Artemis held out her hand to stop her plea.

"Thalia, I do not wish to argue with you. But you must see the situation as clearly as I do. We need help, and therefore we must go to the only place that might be able to help us. Thalia, please understand what I am trying to tell you…"

Thalia stood in shock for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"All right. If you believe that this will help us…"

"I know it will Thalia. You will accompany Apollo to the camp and make the request for aid."

Thalia nodded and began to leave.

"And Thalia…thank you."

Thalia nodded and left. Artemis heard the sun car start and drive away, and then sent a silent prayer that the fates smile on them for just this once…

-Boys camp-

Lisa knew it was dawn. The little light she could see from under her blindfold confirmed it for her. She could hear the tell-tale chirping of birds arising from their slumber, and the feel the wet moist air of the early morning. And the sounds of from the boys around her sent their own signals to the air as well.

She sat with the blindfold tightly around her, upon her legs with her feet bound behind her at the ankles. She did not bother to turn her head, for all the sounds of the surrounding area…and smells…same to her senses with unimpeded keenness. Her hands were bound behind the small of her back, and while her mouth was free, she had no desire to say a word. Not to these beasts that had captured her.

She felt a small, lingering pain on the top of her head, where a boy had managed to club her with his sword butt and render her temporarily incapacitated. She had awoken in this state, in what she guessed was the center of the boys camp, judging from the sounds all around her and the gods-awful stench of men.

She heard the sounds of plates and silverware clattering and boys laughing and jostling. A while later, she heard the sounds of weaponry clanging together as the boys around her apparently passed the time sparring with one another. She did not doubt the male urge to prove themselves to one another, but their constant fighting might as well be the reason for their skill in combat. But she heard worse things as well.

Many times since the boys discovered her awakening, some had come over to ask her how she was feeling. By asking, they put their face close to hers and breathed deeply upon her and sprayed her with spit with each word. She heard things said about women and her sisters in the hunt that would have made the most sexist men pale in disgust. But she stalwartly kept her mouth closed.

It was near midday she guessed, that a boy approached her and roughly grabbed her by the sides of the head. She felt her head jerked to one side and the other. Then she felt her hair jerked back, to force her neck to be exposed. She shivered when she felt a tongue stroke its way from her breasts, across her throat and to her chin. Then a boy's voice gruffly spoke.

"Pathetic…I better get that money from Dillon for accepting this little dare…"

Lisa spat.

She heard a sound of disgust and someone viciously backhanded her cheek. She gritted her teeth, refusing to show pain, and a howl of laughter rang from around her.

"You might as well give up hope little girl. No one is going to be coming for you. Girls just don't have the courage to help even their own."

She did not reply.

She then heard several heavy footsteps approaching her, and she felt the blindfold torn off. She blinked in the bright light as it flooded her eyes and forced her to readjust. When she finally got her eyes adjusted she looked up and saw who had to be the leader of such a miscreant rabble that was these boys.

He was significantly older than them, about mid-twenties. His features were smooth and refined, and his armor was highly polished and gleamed in the sun-light. But what really struck her was the way his eyes examined her. They missed nothing, like that of a true hunter. And the way they seemed to radiate…they were the eyes of someone almost as old as Artemis herself.

"What is your name?" He asked.

Lisa was surprised that he asked it in a much more courteous way than what she had heard lately, and decided to humor him.

"Lisa."

"And you are one of Artemis's top hunters?"

Lisa could not resist confessing her skill.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am."

There was a collective chuckling around her. But the man in front of her remained as stoic as ever, his expression unchanging. A huge broadsword was strapped to his back and the man followed her gaze to it. He gave a amused smile.

"I am not going to kill you, nor anyone here. For the moment, you are of much better use to us alive."

Lisa gave him a confused look. The man chuckled and gave a signal to two boys standing behind him. They stepped forward and scooped her up from the ground, her lying within their arms. Lisa struggled, the first resistance she had put up today, but could not break from their iron grasps. The entered a small tent that was completely bare of any furnishings, and dropped her to the ground. She felt a booted foot smash the back of her head and her world went dark…

-Camp Half-Blood-

Chiron had just given the command for "release" and the Hermes kids let their arrows fly. The projectiles flew toward their targets with varying degrees of accuracy. Some were right on target, while others missed the target altogether. Chiron nodded his understanding to the ones who did not do so well and to lecture them on better form.

Outside the range, other campers were performing other classes. Clarisse of the Ares cabin was instructing a large number of younger campers from a variety of cabins.

Percy Jackson, the Hero who saved Olympus and the world, was instructing several newer campers in swimming. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, was sitting beneath a tree while a group of campers sat cross legged in front of her, reciting ancient Greek.

Chiron could not have been any more proud of these older pupils of his. It was always the pleasure of a teacher to see those he personally instructed go on to teach others in the same skills. It went to show that his legacy would indeed go on, if he ever where to die.

The Hermes kids had reloaded and raised their bows to fire. Chiron was about to give the command to frie when a man's powerful voice rang out.

"HOLD IT!"

Chiron turned, startled, to find Apollo standing just a ways behind them, Thalia standing next to him.

"Lord Apollo! This is much unexpected. What brings you here?"

Apollo gave a smile.

"I'm on a mission for my lil' sis, but first I better sort this mess out."

He approached each camper and corrected them on their stance and critiqued their grips and ways they aimed. Behind him, Thalia was anxiously fidgeting and had look of annoyed urgency.

"Lord Apollo, we really don't have time for this! Artemis is desperate and we really need to hurry!"

"Hold on a second Thalia!" Apollo shouted back. "Archery is an art and I don't like to see it so badly mangled."

Thalia gave an apologetic glance to Chiron, who looked as though he was used to it. He gave her a small smile and Thalia returned it. Chiron had a way of making everyone feel better. Besides, he knew just how picky about archery Apollo could be, and felt it prudent not to test him. Apollo finally stepped back from the group, which now held their corrected stances and grips.

"Fire!" Apollo commanded.

This time, the arrows flew much straighter. Everyone hit their target, though there was still some variance in the accuracy of their shots. There were murmurs of amazement from the campers and Apollo winked at one of the younger girls, an eight-year old looking one, who blushed and giggled.

Apollo turned back to Chiron and signed, running his hand through his hair. He gave a nod toward the big house.

"We might want to discuss this in private Chiron."

Chiron's eyebrows scrunched in wonder but he nodded in understanding. Apollo turned to Thalia.

"Thalia, why don't you go see to your friends and make your own appeal?"

Thalia nodded and quickly ran toward Annabeth, whose class was dismissed and the campers leaving. Chiron saw Annabeth jump up and embrace Thalia, with Thalia returning the embrace. They talked for a moment as he and Apollo walked toward the Big House, and the last he saw of them was Annabeth's worried face as she and Thalia ran toward where Percy Jackson was leaving the water, perfectly dry.

They entered the area used for meetings, Apollo taking a seat across from Chiron. A moment later, Thalia entered with Percy and Annabeth. The three took a seat in chairs at the side of the table. Apollo put his hands on the table and crossed his fingers.

"Chiron, I'm bringing an appeal, on behold of Artemis…"

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I was gone for a week on vacation to Colorado, but now I'm back! I'll see if I can update this later this week. Until then, run fast, duck low, and wear Kevlar!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Captured

Artemis had left her tent to get a good breathe of the night air. She breathed deeply, allowing it to purge the exhaustion from her lungs. She turned around and was heading for the mess tent when she heard something strange coming from the tent next to it. As she stopped and listened harder, it became apparent what it was. Artemis frowned and entered the tent.

Lying on her bed, her knees up to her chest, was one of the newer huntresses, a little girl named Holly. She was facing toward the tent enterance when Artemis arrived and was rocking herself back and forth, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her face was shielded by her long brown hair, and Artemis could hear the gentle weeping coming from the young girls mouth.

"Are you alright?" She called out.

Holly stiffened at the sound of her voice, and brushed the hair sticking stickly to her face. Artemis could see the fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Yes, My Lady...I'm just...I'm just..." Then she broke off into another round of crying.

Artemis walked over to her position on the bed and sat down, gently reaching an arm around her trembling shoulders. Holly seemed to stall her crying when she realized what Artemis was doing, and slowly allowed her head to bury itself into her shoulder. Artemis made no attempt to stop her, allowing the emotionally hurt huntress some comfort.

Holly eventually composed herself enough to lift her head and stare out at the wilderness through her tent's enterance, and finally spoke, her words garbled slightly in her sadness.

"I...I'm worried about Lisa."

Artemis sighed. Lisa was the one missing. She was scared to wonder what might be happening to her if she had been captured. But she could not scare Holly, the poor girl's nerves were already frazzled.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll get her back."

"You really think so?"

"Positive."

Holly smiled a sad smile and laid her head back on Artemis's shoulder, Artemis offering no protest.

They stayed like that for a while, comforting each other with their collective fears. Artemis finally heard one of the huntresses call out that dinner was ready, and stood up, offering her hand to Holly, who still sniffled. Holly slipped her hand into hers and Artemis gently led her out of the tent, trying to ignore her own fears for the future...

-Camp Half-Blood-

"Wait just a minute!"

Apollo stopped talking at Percy's sudden outburst. He grumbled in annoyance and looked over at Percy, who was sitting next to Annabeth, his hands on the table as he forced himself up to stand.

"You say that Orion has come back?"

"Why yes Percy, I just did. Right before you interupted me. Which was quite rude you know," Apollo replied.

Percy realized that angering Apollo at this moment was not something he would want to to do, considering Apollo's need to help his sister. He had been told by Apollo himself that nothing messed with his sister. _Nobody_, he said. Percy slowly lowered himself back to his eat.

"Sorry..."

"Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interuppted, Orion somehow has returned from the dead. Please don't ask me how, I really do not know yet. But he has and he has formed his own group of hunters, boys."

"Boys?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes Annabeth, boy hunters."

Annabeth's eyes widened slightly at the information. She couldn't visualize boys being hunters. She couldn't see boys wearing similar clothes and possessing the same fighting skills. It was one of those things that just didn't seem possible.

Almost as if he were reading her mind, Apollo turned toward her.

"Yes Annabeth, they are quite alike. And they are also different in several ways. They have an extreme disdain for girls, much like the hunters have for boys. But they have much more fighting prowess and I have been told, a much more brutal style of fighting. My sister said one of them was able to hold them off by himself."

The group let out some impressed sounds. If someone was able to take on Lady Artemis, then these were not boys that they would want to tangle with. Just How had Orion come across such boys, or was it that he trained them himself. All the legends talked about his prowess. And speaking of Orion, just how did he come back anyway?

Apollo leaned back in his seat and sighed. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment and ran his hand through his hair. He then leaned forward once more and put his hands on the table in front of him, slowly opening his eyes.

"It's really sad ya' know. My sister is the strongest person I know. She always had a stout heart. To see her outright pleading for help is just heart-breaking."

Thalia sniffled, and Annabeth put a hand around her.

"And so I am here. Artemis asked me to relay this back to you guys. She is asking for help from Camp-Half Blood. Anyone who has some good skills in combat is asked to come and help. Even boys."

The group shuddered. Just how bad could it be, that Artemis would request help from boys? Did these people she was fighting scare her that badly, or were they just that good? One thing was for certain, this was not something to be taking lightly.

Apollo looked each of them in the eye.

"Do you people know of anyone who you think might be willing to help her?"

"I think you know two for certain," Annabeth said. She stood up, along with Percy. Apollo grinned at them.

"Anyone else you think?"

Annabeth looked over at Percy, who returned her gaze. They both seemed to mentally consider things for a moment, and then turned back to Apollo.

"Give us some time to see, and we might be able to gather up some others," Annabeth said.

Apollo nodded. The two left the room.

Chiron asked Apollo if he were going to stay for a while, and Apollo nodded his consent.

"I need to get them to her camp, right?" He replied.

-Several hours later-

Chiron had made the announcement at dinner, and everyone was mumbling to themselves, wondering just who these boys were that could threaten the hunters. Chiron had allowed Apollo to make his appeal, and now campers were talking it over with each other. Percy and Annabeth were going around the camp during the after-dinner gatherings, and trying to talk those they felt could help into coming along.

There were a few who swore that they were in, just after Apollo made his speech to them concerning the situation. Several Apollo campers had signed up, wanting to help their Aunt. Katie Garder volunteered as well. She might not have the combat prowness inherit in some of the others, but being in several battles against armies of monsters ramps up your skills quickly.

Connor and Travis Stoll had both volunteered as well, having grown to admire the hunters ever since their battle alongside them in Manhattan. Annabeth knew others who might be of great assistance, but it was kind of hard to get them to help them. They, after all, were not particuraly fond of the hunters.

"No," Clarisse replied.

"Come on Clarisse, we need you for this," Percy pleaded.

"Forget it punk, the hunters have dihonored us too much in the past."

"Clarisse-"

"I said _NO_!"

Percy was about to give up. He flung his arms in the air in annoyance and turned to walk off. Annabeth started to walk off with him, but began to talk very loudly to him, just loud enough for Clarisse to hear.

"It's just as well, I mean, there is no way the Ares campers could face those boys. Not if what we are hearing about them is true."

Clarisse whirled around and started listening to what they were saying. They wouldn't dare...

Percy seemed to catch wind of what Annabeth was trying to do and joined in.

"Yeah, after seeing what the hunters did to those Ares campers, then knowing that they could be fighting people more skilled than them must really put a crock in their armor straps."

Clarisse was almost shaking with rage. Her face turned bright red and her jaws were so tight that she could have shattered a skull with them. Percy just continued to rant about the Ares kids way of getting out of a scary situation when she finally marched over and grasped his shoulder. Spinning him around, Clarisse stared right into his eyes.

"I'm in...and if I ever hear you say those things about the power of Ares, I will personaly jam this blade right up your Achillies cursed ass!" Then she marched off to her cabin to prepare.

Percy gave Annabeth a satisfied grin.

"And that's how you recurit, my Wise Girl friend!"

-Somewhere in the wilderness, unknown miles away from the hunter's current camp-

Christina kept her head down as she slowly moved through the brush, making no sounds that any animals may have heard out of the norm. She kept her breathing under control, not allowing herself to huff or make any loud gasps of air as she maunuvered her way through the woods aound the hunters camp. Her bow was in her hands, at the ready.

She knew that she probably should not be wondering out away from the camp alone, not with the boys possible close. But there was a shortage of potential scouts, now that Lisa was missing, and Chrisitna was one of the better ones. And so she volunteered to go alone, not wanting to risk any other sisters on her mission. She wanted to minimize casualties should she be ambushed or discovered.

She moved onward until she heard something. She stopped to listen harder and could make out what sounded like voices in the distance. She strained to hear what they may be, but found that she was still too far off to make them out very well. So she crouched lower and made her way toward the voices, now becoming louder as she neared.

She found them in the distance. In a small clearing in the woods, a group of about five boys were standing around a fire. They were clothed in the clothing of the boy hunters and their bows were slung across their backs. They were talking amongst themselves in a quiet, yet not to quiet manner. Christina scanned their small camp, and saw a girl tied up near them, laying down on her side. Christina had to hold a gasp back when she saw who it was.

Lisa laid beaten and bruised. Her eyes were closed, but Christina could just barely make out bruises underneath them, as though she had endured kicks to the face. The rest of her body was covered in bruses, and she looked like she was barely breathing. Christina hoped to the gods that the boys had not actually forced her to break her oath unwillingly, and shuddered at the thought.

She knew she could not rescue her alone. There was no way that she could face five of these boys by herself and hope to come out alive. What she needed was to bring Lady Artemis here. Christina hurried away, moving as fast as she could maintain relative silence, and began to move back toward the huntresses camp.

She never spotted the figure in the shadows, tailing her ever since she began to scout...

-Thirty minutes later, huntresses camp-

Christina burst into her tent without asking for permission. Artemis normally frowned upon that, but these days, she did not really call any of them on it. Artemis looked up to see the face of Christina locked in anger and despair. She ran to Lady Artemis and gave a short bow, then, without being told she could, she began to say what she saw.

"My Lady, I saw Lisa!"

Artemis bolted upright to a standing position. She listened to her scout's report of what she saw, and she felt her anger flare at what she was hearing. How dare they...how _dare_ they do that to Lisa. She could feel herself beggining to lose control over her form and fought to maintain it. She thanked Christina and sent her out to inform her sisters, while she planned on what she needed to do.

Based on what Christina told her, there was only a scouting party guarding Lisa. Artremis was sure that she could sneak in and retrieve Lisa. But what if it were a trap? Artemis paused at the thought, but she quickly decided against it. The boys had such a small group guarding Lisa that she should be easily retrived without bloodshed. Artemis was tired of killing for a while.

She left her tent to cries of outrage and sadness from her hunters. Many were pleading with her for permission to launch a raid and retake their lost sister. When she announced that she would be going alone, there was silence for a moment. Then several spoke up.

"But my lady, what if it's a trap?"

"I do not think so. Christina reported that they were lax and unaware, and she saw no others besides the guards themselves. If this report is accurate, then I should have no difficulty sneaking in and returning Lisa to us."

Her huntresses looked like they still disagreed. But they allowed her to walk away into the woods unchallenged. Just before she disappeared, she turned back to them and called out.

"When Thalia reuturns, she will be in charge. That is assuming I have not yet returned..."

She then disappeared into the woods. The sounds of her camp died out behind her and she moved in the direction that Chrisitna pointed out for her. The trees were dark and looming, and the sounds of the woods were dimming as she moved deeper inward, toward where she was told the boy's camp was. She could not be too far now...

She slowly pulled a branch out of the way and finally saw the camp itself. A dying fire was dimly burning, it's faint glow casing dim light over the sleeping boys. They slept in their armor, almost as if they were expecting to wake up to a fight, and their bows were on the ground next to them, just within arm's reach. Artemis regarded them for a moment, before deciding that they were quite asleep.

She saw Lisa at last. She was laying on her side with her mouth still gagged and her arms tied behind her back. She was not facing Artemis, and she could see the bruises along Lisa's neck. She was tempted to slit the boys throats right now, but decided that Lisa was the first priority. Artmemis gently moved closer to her, and gently rolled her over.

Lisa's eyes shot open and she saw Artemis. She began to flail around and make desperate cries against the shielding of her gag, and then jerked her head in several directions. Artemis suushed her and gently removed the gag. Lisa spat out the cloth and frantically looked up into Artemis's eyes.

"My lady, get out of here, it's a trap!"

"Not without you Lisa."

"You don;t understand, they're right-"

Artemis was startled by sounds erupting all around her. She whirled around, a sword in her hand, just to be met by a net flung over her. Artemis was covered before she could raise her sword, and to her dismay, found it to be made of celestial bronze. Her powers would be useless within it. Artemis flung around, desperate to escape, and only succedded in tangling herself further. Hoots and whoops of victory rang from around her as the boys revealed themselves from their perfect hiding places, and the "sleeping" boys got up, looking at her with unhidden triumph.

"You didn't actually think we did not know you were there, ya' little hussy? You can't sneak up on the masters of trackers!"

Artemis snarled almost like a wild animal and clawed at the net, only earning another round of laughter from the boys around her.

"Well, the little goddess fell right for it! Let's get her back to the Lord!" One of them, apparently the leader called out.

Artemis felt herself being dragged, and dragged roughly. She stopped struggling, knowing the helplessness of struggling against nets such as these. How could she have not seen that it was a trap? Was she just that overconfident? She did not know. The only thing she did know was that she was now a prisoner of these boys...and completely at their mercy. And she knew that they did not have much...

**Well, this is not good. Artemis has been captured. But Apollo and Thalia seem to have managed to gather support from Camp-Half Blood. Will they be able to get back to the huntresses camp and make plans to rescue Artemis? What will Orion do to Artemis, now that he has her under his boot? Well, you'll find out very soon...Until then, remember to leave a comment, and not to forget your Kevlar!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Bringing the troops

By noon the next day they were assembled. Apollo and Thalia were not quite satisfied with the turnout, but they decided that it was not worth the effort to convince anymore. They had spent all day yesterday asking half-bloods for their help with Artemis predicament and had at last decided they had as many as they could convince.

They stood ready next to Apollo's sun car, which had been transformed into a more suitable transportation vehicle. They had gained the help from both Annabeth and Percy, as well as Grover, who was jumping up and down at the thought of helping Artemis. The Stoll brothers were there as well as Katie Garder had come. Will Solace and two other Apollo campers had volunteered, eager to help their Aunt. And after Percy's little heckling, Clarisse La Rune had come, though she was only coming for the big fight she hoped woould occur, and no other Ares campers would volunteer, being very unfond of the hunters. And they had not even aproached the Aphrodite campers, knowing that was truly a waste of their time. Chris Rodriguez had come along as well, in order to protect Clarisse, which she rolled her eyes at.

Their bags packed and their weapons stored within, Apollo opened the bus door and the gathered group entered, taking their seats along the bus in varied intervals. The Stoll brothers were still trying to get it with Katie, as they always were. Annabeth and Percy were sitting next to each other in the middle of the bus, holding hands and whispering to one another. Clarisse and Chris were a little ways behind them, holding hands but not speaking to one another, as though they could already tell what was on the other's mind. The Apollo campers were in the front, chatting with their father, whom they had not seen for quite a while.

"Campers!" Chiron called out from outside the bus.

The campers stood up and looked out the window. Chiron stood there in centaur form with most of the cabins around him.

"I wish you all good luck and urge you to stay safe. If Apollo's words are true, then these people you will face are merciless fighters, and you should expect none from them. Be careful and look out for each other. May the gods be with you!"

The bus's engine flared to life as Chiron finished speaking. Campers all around them waved good-bye from outside, and Apollo lifted the bus into the sky, many of the campers outside turning their heads at the bright light. The bus reached a higher altitude and the group inside could see the terrain below them with perfect clarity. Camp soon vanished behind them as they soared toward the camp of the hunters. Apollo turned to Thalia, who was sitting in the first seat on the left, messing with a strand of her hair.

"Hey Thalia, want to drive?" He asked with a smirk.

Thalia gasped and shook her head profusely, still remembering her disaster several years ago, when she nearly crashed it going to Camp. Apollo drove it smoothly as ever as they crossed over mountains and streams. The forsets looked dark below them, despite the sun going right over them. Finally, Percy spoke to break the ice of silence over them.

"Hey Apollo, do you know why Orion would hate Artemis so much?"

Apollo's mood seemed to darken at the question. He looked down at his lap and brooded for a slient moment. The group behind him stared in silent tension, waiting for his answer. He finally looked up and gently sighed, flipping on the atuo-pilot, which they had no idea the vehicle had. He got up effortlessly in the movingf vehicle and took several steps back, slipping into one of the seats behind the driver seat. The newly raised group of campers got up and moved closer to his current seat, eager to listen for what the answer was. .

"Yes Percy...I think I do..."

He looked them in the eyes and began to speak.

"Do you all know exactly what happened between Artemis and Orion?"

There were some nods.

"Artemis killed Orion while he was out at sea, right?" Percy asked.

Apollo nodded, but continued.

"What you probably don't know is just _why_ she did...it's haunted me for a while, and now...it's all my fault..."

-Boys camp-

Artemis felt herself being dragged down the path, the boys laughing and jeering all the way. How could she have been so foolish, so unaware of what my happen? Was the fact that she was an immortal goddess drowning out her caution? Artemis had always been one of the more skillfull goddess's of Olympus, but to be captured by a pack of mere boys, it was just unimaginable.

Several of the boys were having fun by poking her with their swords. Artemis gritted her teeth and refused to give a cry for them to stop or for mercy. She took courage from Lisa, who was now uncoiuncess and being brought back to the boy's camp, her body flung over the shoulder of one of the boys as he walked. If Lisa could endure all those pains that the boys inflicted on her, then Artemis, as her mistress, would follow that example. Her heart broke for Lisa, but at the very least, the boys had knocked her out and she felt nothing that was being dealt on Artemis's bare flesh.

She heard the sounds of a camp nearby, and she finally was dragged to the border of it. Boys all around her were in various activites, from cleaning their weapons to sparring to taking exercise. But all that soon stopped.

The leader of the party that captured her yelled out in a deep voice, the perfect voice for command.

"Brothers, we have success. We have captured Artemis herself!"

The boys broke from their activities and swarmed her, yelling and jostling, and each spitting or shoving her with their booted feet. Artemis endured it all without a single complaint by voice or sound, and allowed herself to be dragged into a dark tent without struggle. Artemis felt them pick her up and throw her in, probably just for show. She let out a grunt as she hit the dirt floor, and waited for them to throw in Lisa, which they did shortly afterward.

Artemis trained her eyes in the dim light and saw Lisa stir. But Artemis was scared for the girls sanity, so she willed her to sleep instead, to be lost in a hrmless state. Reality was already a nightmare, and Lisa would simply be waking up to something far worse. To Artemis relief, Lisa did not stir anymore, and lay gently breathing on the ground, the fresh blow whare one of the boys had knocked her out sill purpely fresh.

Artemis closed her eyes, desperate to reach out to her brother, but to her dismay, the celestial bronze net forbid her from using her powers. She growled in frustration and pondered what her options were, and found that they clearly were not many. She closed her eyes and waited for a new moment, for something else to present itself, for it was all she could do.

Her thoughts were interupted by footsteps and the light of day flooding into the tent. In entered two boys. Artemis recognizeed one as the leader of the party that took her, and the other she could not identify. They both stared at her with amusment.

"Just think Mikhail, of how many little boys, whose only crime was happening to spot her camp and be captured, where turned into prey animals for her enjoyment."

Mikhail, bulky boy of about fourteen, grinned down at her without a single ounce of pity.

"Yeah, I know Jason. She deserves to be torn apart and tossed into the deepest pits of Tartarus, like the rest of her little girls."

Artemis hissed in rage at that comment. Mikhail's eyebrows rasied in mock surprise.

"Oh, you disagree do you?"

"I would have the same thing done to you boys. You are all a rabble of miscreant little welps who deserve no pity or mercy when my hunters come for you!"

The two boys howled with laughter.

"Oh yeah, those little wenches. You actually think that they stand a chance against us? It would be like taking candy from a baby!"

Jason frowned.

"Kind of cliched there, Mikhail."

"I couldn't think of anything else..."

Artemis felt her rage bubble within her.

"Were you so scared of me, that you had to use a trap to capture me, instead of honorable combat? Are you boys that big of cowards?"

Jason's hand flashed forward and delivered a savage backhand blow to Artemis's cheek. She recoiled but kept her glare. Jason almost was trembling with anger.

"Don't you try to call us cowards, you miserable little bitch. You seduced Lord Orion, then waited for him to turn his back on you. And when he took exercise, the thoughts of you in his head, you killed him. If that is not cowardice, then I don't know what is. If you wanted him dead, then you should have fought him in frontal combat, the honorable way. But you struck a coward's blow."

Artemis refused to let them see the effect that comment had. Her heart strained itself under the memory of that day, but she refused to let itr show on her face. She would get Orion back, but if these boys got in her way...

Maybe there was a chance of reasoning with them however. Artemis seriously doubted it, but with her chained up and helpless, it was all she could do...

"What you are hearing of me, killing Orion, is greatly exaggerated."

Jason''s eyes flashed murderously. Mikhail took a step closer, as if he were preparing to deliver a kick to her face.

"You killed Orion when you confessed you loved him, and he returned it. Don't you try to decive us, you harpy." Jason's snarled.

"I did kill Orion, that much is true. But I did not do it deliberately."

"Oh really? So you just shot Orion through the head and thought _crap, my bad_!"

"No, I did not. I was tricked by my brother. I love Orion. I would not have hurt him in any way. Wasn't it you who was there at the battle recently, when you ambushed us? Jason is your name, is it not? That is what Orion called you."

"Yes Artemis that was me. It was me who defended our Lord when you were about to send him back to Hades."

"No, Jason, I was not. I was going to show him what happened, what really occured. If you had allowed me not ten more seconds, all of this would have been over with. The killing could have been over."

Jason's eyes narrowed and he put his hand on Mikhail's shoulder, pulling him back from his threatening position. He bore his eyes into Artemis's and Artemis could see into this boy, for just a moment. Artemis felt that he had been abused by someone in his life, probably a female parent, based on what he was now.

"Why would you be so interested in stoping the killing, Artemis? Sure you'd want to stop us from ripping your beloved harlots to shreds, but you say yourself you would want to see us burn in Hades."

Artemis softened her gaze, which surprised Jason.

"I spoke out of anger. I dislike men, you probably know that. But I love Orion. I would not want to see him harmed. And if you are...boy hunters...with him, then I would be inclined to allow you to leave in peace."

Mikhail snorted.

"Yeah, as jackalopes."

"No Mikhail, as perfectly normal boys. If you allow me an audience with Orion, and convince him to let me show him what happened, all of you will be allowed to go unharmed. If Orion has taken you as his brothers, then I will not harm you. But I cannot say the same for my hunters. And so I will make this appeal once. Allow me to show Orion the truth, and my hunters and myself will not harm you, should you swear not to trouble us ever again. But if you do not, then I will have no choice..."

"You are not one to be making ultimatums, considering your present state," Mikhail answered.

But Jason looked into her eyes, and Artemis responded. They stared into each other like two wolves other a dead rabbit, each one daring each other to make a move. And then Artemis saw something in Jason's eyes, something uncomprehinsible. Her lips slightly parted in understanding, and her eyes actually showed a moment of sympathy.

"You have been abused in your life, haven't you Jason."

Jason's eyes shot open at the revealed information. But he held Artemis's steely gaze firmly, and Artemis was impressed by the power of this boy's gaze, how he refused to back down from the power of her eyes. There was a hidden strength in this boy, something she understood as well...for she had seen it in her old liuetenant, her huntress in the stars, Zoe.

Mikhail noticed the flow of understanding begining to gather in the room, and laid a hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason did not acknowledge until Mikhail gently shook him.

"Jason man, you still with us?"

Jason broke his gaze with Artemis and gave Mikhail a little half-grin.

"Yeah, mikhail, I'm still very much with ya'. Go tell Lord Orion Artemis is ready to be seen whenever he's ready."

Mikhail nodded and gave a final glare at Artemis. Then he turned and walked out, the tent flapping behind him.

Jason returened his eyes to the captured goddess beneath him. Artemis stared into him for a moment longer.

"It was your mother, wasn't it?"

"_That is not your concern, Artemis!_ What you should be concerned about is what Lord Orion will do to you."

"I do not fear Orion, I think I have made that quite clear. Now tell me, was it your mother that hurt you?"

Jason took a deep breathe. He did not like to be familirizing with a POW, but Artemis was pressing some sore wounds with a pointed tounge.

"Yes, it was my mother. And my older sister."

"And that is why you joined Lord Orion, to take revenge on the female gender for their injustice?"

Jason's eyes flashed their fierce glare.

"I joined Orion because he gave us a brotherhood. We are a family Artemis, something you would not understand."

"I quite understand Jason. I am the same way with the hunters."

"Oh sure you are. A bunch of little girls playing hunter. You would not understand what a bond between brother or sister is if it rammed itself up your ass with a ten pound hammer."

Artemis frowned at the launguage, but continued.

"No, Jason, I am quite aware of it. And I am the same way with the hunters, Jason. Our two groups are not as different from each other as you think."

Jason's eyes narrowed.

"We shall see. Orion will have you now, in due time."

He left, leaving Artemis to ponder just what the future may hold.

-Hunters Camp-

The hunters shielded their eyes from the sudden burst of light. When the rumbling stopped, they could see the sun-chariot as a large bus. The door opened and Apollo walked out, smiling at the hunters.

"Howdy there girls. I told you I would bring help."

There was no reply of rejoicing for the one bit of good news that had come to them that day. Thalia exited with Percy and Annabeth behind her. The rest of the rienforements came out afterward. Thalia looked around, scanning for Artemis.

"Where is Lady Artemis?" she asked.

There was a collective slience around her. Apollo also noticed the lack of a little sister and looked around as well. But she was nowhere in the immediate area.

"Where is Artemis?" he asked, a little more forcefully then Thalia.

"We do not know Lord Apollo. She went to retrieve a captured sister that our scouts discovered in a small camp of the boys. She said she would be back and left, but she has not returned."

Apollo's face darkened, and his eyes seemed to glow with rage. He shook from anger, and he looked around at the assorted hunters, all cringing away and begining to back up.

"She left...and NONE of you went with her!" He cried. The girls jumped back.

"She said that she would do it alone...please Lord Apollo, she told us to stay here," the hunter pleaded, her fear at Apollo's anger apparent.

Apollo seemed to calm down slightly.

"Sorry, child."

Percy and Annabeth ran up to Thalia, who explained the situation. Percy made a remark that he did not like it, as Artemis had been captured before.

"Apollo, can't you see her?" one of the hunters asked.

Apollo closed his eyes and focused, scanning for any sign of his sister. He was lord of the sun. He saw everything. But when he looked for his sister, he found nothing, as if something was shielding her from his gaze.

He roared in fury as his eyes shot open, and he turned back to his god appearence, the greek style clothing. He then began to sparkle, threatening to turn "god" on them. Then he turned back to the group.

"I must bring this up to the council. If I do not return soon, then you all are to find the camp of the boys on your own initative. And you are to free my sister, and take care of the boys in any way you see fit...do you hear me Thalia!"

Thalia gave a frienzied nod. Apollo nodded and vanished, leaving an afterimage in the minds of all who saw.

**Well, the group of reinforcements have arrived and Artemis may have possibly gotten through to Jason...somewhat. Will the hunters and campers uncover the camp of Orion and free Artemis? Will Artemis free Orion of the lies he has been fed by an unkown source? We will have to wait and see...Remember to review! And any ideas you all have that you would like to tell are quite welcomed!**


	13. Chapter 13

**And so here is the long awaited next chapter...things will be coming to a head very soon...**

Chapter 13: Council

If there was one thing that gods hated, it was being summoned somewhere against there will. All around the throne room, the gods chatted and muttered, mostly complaints about the sudden call for council by Lord Zeus, at the behest of Apollo. They continued to mutter and groan about themselves, wondering just where the Hades was the little god of the sun. They had been summoned here for a reason after all.

Finally, Lord Zeus entered. The council stood up in acknowledgment, and then took their seats when he did. Zeus surveyed the council sitting around him, with the exception of an empty seat on the goddess's side of the room. And then he raised his voice to his "authority" stance.

"I have summoned you all here to discuss a very disturbing matter. I will leave the details of the situation to Apollo, who has more experience with the problem and has been the one responsible for your summoning."

Zeus took his seat as Apollo appeared in the center of the room in a flash of light. He immediately began to look into the eyes of all the gods there, including the ones he was not sure would be thrilled to offer assistance. He needed all the possible help he could muster.

"I have some news for us all. And I ask you to please bear with me as I say these things, as I myself are not sure just how they came to pass."

He began to say his piece. He told them of how Artemis had summoned him specifically for help, something that had not happened for a very long time. Then he told them of how Artemis had told of Orion's second coming, something that caused somew general quiet murmmuring from the gods. And then he told them about his losing of contact with her, and how he was unable to find her. It was very much like when Atlas had managed to capture her.

When he was finished, there was silence from all the gods. Each of them was lost in thought, trying to assimilate what they had just been told. Zeus's eyes were closed in thought, and Athena pushed her hair back in the same manner. Aphrodite was absolutely grinning however.

"Well, it just goes to show. Love hurts."

Apollo had fire erupt within his eyes. He gazed upon Aphrodite with unmatched fury. Aphrodite looked back with not a worry in the world, probaly thinking Ares would be able to help if Apollo got too cocky.

"Just what do you mean, Aphrodite!" Apollo snarled. Aphrodite grinned wider.

"Artemis is getting what was coming to her, eventually. When you kill the one you tricked into loving you, that is something that cannot go unanswered. Do you really think the fates were going to allow her to forever forget what she did that day? No, she is getting what has been coming to her for quite some time."

Apollo let out a cry of rage and summoned his bow. Ares took the opportunity to rise up and draw his sword, as if he expected to be able to run Apollo through before he could fire. Apollo dared his to do so, with his eyes. But there was a powerful burst of thunder right outside the chamber, and all eyes were on Zeus.

Zeus looked at Apollo in annoyance, but not anger. He spoke rather softly, almost as if he were simply trying to calm Apollo down...which he probably was.

"Apollo, despite your strong feelings for your sister, You cannot enact violence within the council chambers. I won't have blood spilled within Olympus..."

Apollo took a deep breathe. The he sighed.

"Sorry, father..."

Zeus nodded, and then turned to Aprhodite.

"And you, watch your tone when talking about my daughter."

Aphrodite smirked but nodded as well.

"Apollo, do you have any idea just how Orion was able to return to this world?" Athena asked.

Apollo shrugged, his eyes cast down.

"No Athena...I was hoping you could figure it out for us."

Athena leaned back in her seat and thought for a long moment. She muttered to herself several times but she could not come up with an explanation very fast. Ares spoke next.

"Well, sun boy, just what do you think we should do about this whole thing?"

"I suggest we find this camp of Orion and his hunters, and take our vengeance!"

"And just why would we want to do that?" Hera asked. She never was a fan of Artemis.

Apollo looked at her in dsibleief.

"Because one of us has just been captured by mortals...and we are going to do nothing?"

There was muttering about the chamber. Apollo looked pleadingly at all the faces, trying to peak into their thoughts.

"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. If we allow these mortal to get away with this, then what will follow? Ask yourselves that."

The gods said nothing, only stared straight back at him, their faces expressionless. Apollo looked at them with such disbelief as to completely rewrite a man's religous beliefs. They seemed to be lost in a limbo of desceicion, almost as if they could not pull themselves out of it and give him an answer. Then Aphrodite laughed, much to Apollo's dismay.

She stood up and gave a wave of her hand, as if she was simply putting on a show. Then she slowly walked along the assembled gods, though she kept her distance from Apollo.

"Why should we worry ourselves about Artemis? Apollo says that it is mere mortals that have captuered her. Therefore, why should we need to worry? Artemis is an immortal goddess, unfortunately. And so she should be able to take care of herself. Why must we all just rush down there and free her?"

Apollo could hardly control the rage bubbling inside him. He would go to virtually any length to protect his sister...

"Artemis is a big girl, she can take care of herself...and so I vote that we hold to the laws and stay put of any affairs with mortals that we can avoid doing so."

There was a murmor of agreement...Apollo could not believe his ears! They were actually going along with this charade!

"We must do something..." Apollo began.

"Aphrodite is right," Demeter cut him off. "The laws forbid us from interfering directly with mortal affairs. If Artemis is captured then she should surely be able to get out on her own."

"I am inclined to agree." Athena said.

Apollo's mouth was hanging slightly open in shock.

"But she is one of us!"

"Yes, but the law is the law Apollo," Aphrodite said.

In desperation, Apollo turned to Zeus, who was looking at the ground.

"Father...surely you see reason..."

"Apollo...their right. By the laws I myself set down...we cannot interfere."

Apollo had had it.

"SHE IS YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!"

Zeus opened his eyes rapidly, a look of rage upon his face.

"Do not raise your voice at me Apollo. I am quite aware that she is of my blood. And you don't know how much it pains me to allow it...but I cannot interfere. I set the law down, and I must follow it as an example to the others..."

Apollo finally realized the truth of what was happening. He would recieve no help from them. He turned to leave.

"Very well then...I'll get her myself."

"Oh no you will not Apollo. You are bound by the laws as much as we," Zeus called after him.

Apollo whirled to speak, but Zeus cut him off.

"Therefore, Apollo, you will not interfere any longer with this affair."

"But father...!"

"I have spoken!" Zeus roared.

Apollo felt his lips quivering in sad frustration. With a cry of rage he dissapeared in a flash of brilliant light.

-hunters camp-

Thalia had been pacing around Artemis's tent for an hour now, her thought running rampant through her mind. She was about to check for any progress from the scouts resting beside a fire outside when a large, rainbow like thing appeared in front of her. She was confused for a moment, then realized that she was recieving an Iris-message.

"Thalia."

Apollo appeared in the "window" of the rainbow. He looked bad, his eyes dull and his voice soft and weak. Thalia felt herself becoming worried and was quick to ask.

"Lord Apollo, what happened?"

"They rejected help Thalia."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we will recieve no help from the other gods. Despite this being a case of gods being possibly captured, they will hold by Zeus's law. They will not help."

Thalia opened her mouth to protest.

"And don't expect me to come back Thalia...they have ordered me to stand down."

"Why?"

"Because Aphrodite just had to open her mouth and spit out bile..."

Thalia nodded grimly. Apollo then looked into her eyes with a fierce passion. He burned to her to soul like the sun he commanded.

"Thalia, you must do as I told you earlier. You must find this camp of boy hunters and rescue Artemis. Please Thalia, promise me."

"I swear it Lord Apollo."

Apollo nodded, and the rainbow vanished.

**Sorry for the shortness, but I was running out of time. Remember to Review! The big talk between Artemis and Orion will be coming up and the final battle will occur, with all the painful revelations that come with it...**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Talk and discovery

Artemis knew it was nighttime. The crickets chirping and the moonlight dimly coming into the tent told it so. Next to her, Lisa had awoken and now stared out like a wild animal in shock from her position. She was gagged and her eyes darted to and fro all over, as if she were trying to find a way out, even though it was currently impossible.

"Rest Lisa. You know escape is at the moment impossible, so you should not waste energy trying futile escape tricks."

Lisa looked over at Artemis, who gave her a reassuring smile. Lisa felt comforted by her lady's smile. She slowly rested her head down upon the cold ground and her eyes closed to only half-open, watching the action outside the tent from the sliver of an opening in the flap.

Through it, one could see the boys wrapping up their exercise and training for the day. Artemis was particularly interested in the training she was witnessing. She paid attention to it with rapt attention, noting a particular event with some general astonishment.

Two boys were sparring with their swords, one was physically a good chunk younger than his opponent. The older boy constantly would bet the younger. The younger boy fought back and back again, but could never seem to beat the older boy in any round they fought. Finally, Artemis could see tears of frustration forming in the boy's eyes. After one final defeat, he slowly turned around and began to walk away, his head bowed in shame. But that was when he appeared.

She could see him. There was no mistaking that man, even from a crowd of a thousand times a thousand. He moved with a grace of a master hunter, and the eyes of a true master that missed nothing. Artemis saw him immediately pull the boy over and lean down to talk quietly to him for several minutes. The boy listened to what Orion was saying to him, his body making no sign of movement. And when Orion was done, the boy slowly approached his opponent, his gaze no longer teary, but one of stout determination, his jaw set.

When the referee gave the signal, it was like a wolf had been cut free. The younger boy attacked the older with a fury he did not seem to be able to reach just a few minutes ago. The older boy was taken back by the fury of the assault, and he was backed up several feet and giving ground before the berserk fury of the younger. The fight only lasted a few more seconds before the older boy's sword was torn from his hand and he fell on his back, the youngster's sword at his neck. The boy raised his hand in diagonal motion to the sky and held it there for a few seconds. Artemis remembered it as a sign of gladiators from Ancient Rome who had been defeated, pleading for mercy from the emperor and the audience. Here, it might be a sign of surrender.

The younger boy withdrew his sword, and the older boy stood up. Artemis thought he would give some sign of defeat to the younger, but he only gave a slight nod, picked up his sword, and moved away to a different sparring group. She saw Orion walk up and gently place his hand on the young boy's shoulder. He did not look him in the eyes, but only kept his hand there for a moment, giving a gentle squeeze. His eyes remained straight forward. The boy did not look at Orion, but gave a small nod, then moved away to a different training event.

Artemis narrowed her eyes as her mind worked to make sense of what she had just witnessed. But it soon became so clear to her just what she had witnessed. Orion had taught them a different tactic of battle then what the hunters followed. Artemis had always preached discipline. Orion seemed to have a different take on it.

If what she saw held any truth, then Orion trained them to hold their beast in check and rely on skill to try to win. But clearly, if that did not work, he taught them to release the beast within them and to use their skills, only this time amplified with their fury, to overwhelm their opponent. He most likely taught them "disciplined fury". To use your anger and the hate within you, the beast you keep caged within your heart, and to use it when necessary. And then clearly, they were taught to immediately cage it once again when it had served it's purpose. And what of the incredible Stoicisms of them?

When the boy had turned away to walk to his next event, Artemis realized something when she saw his eyes. Something had changed in him when he triumphed over the tougher opponent. Pride? Maybe, but maybe not quite. When Orion placed his hand on his shoulder, the boy's eyes seemed to light a glow from within himself, almost as if he were incredibly pleased with himself and refused to show it, to break the Stoicism. Orion made them want to please and impress him.

How long had he been with the veterans of this group? How much of an impact had he made upon them? Artemis remembered the skill he showed in ages past, skill that could only seemed to have been amplified these days. And she remembered how charismatic he was. How loyal were these boys to Orion?

Based on what Jason had briefly told her during her inquisition, Orion had made an incredible impact on most of them. The way that Mikhail was going to strike her for even the mildest insult. The way Jason spoke of him when he mentioned what Orion had done for them. All this indicated that these boys were closer to each other and Orion than some families were. Maybe they now considered themselves to be each others family.

Just like her and her hunters...

This group shared so many of the same characteristics as the hunters. While not exactly the same philosophy when it came to combat, based on what she was observing, and certainly not on gender issues, but the loyalty. The faithfulness that Jason and the rest had showed was just like those of her hunters. She remembered when Zoe was willing to fight her very own father and face her death as foretold, to save her from Atlas. Her heart burned for a moment at the memory, and she sent a silent thanks to her spirit. But as Zoe had fought for her, Jason had come to Orion's aid when Artemis had briefly bested him and he was at her mercy. When Jason saw his master in what seemed mortal danger, he attacked, without fear, the immortal goddess of the hunt, without one thought for his own safety.

She could not question this "brotherhood's" bond. The faith they showed in one another was evident even with a brief glimpse of them, even if you were on the business end of their blades. She noticed they were quick to avenge the death of any of them in combat, regardless of their current situation. She could not help but admire the spirit of them, even if she detested them in other ways. Were Orion not so misguided to what he believes happened that day, as to teach this same thing to his "boy hunters", they could very well be a force that nothing on this earth could match.

Oh, if she could just get one shot at Orion. If her hands where free and she had an opening, she could dart forward and grasp his head in her arms. And then she could show him what really had happened that day, what had truly taken place. He could see that his death at her hands was a complete and total accident, a trick of her brother. And just maybe, he would call off this vendetta against her and her huntresses. So much blood would be saved, and Hades would be spared just a little less overcrowding within the underworld.

She closed her eyes and tried to meditate on what she had experienced the past few days. It was, at the moment, all she could do.

-Hunter's camp-

There had never been any more conflict within the hunter camp then right at this moment...

Some hunters, tears running down their cheeks at all they had endured, and now were struck, wanted to seek out the boy's camp and take their vengeance right then. Others argued more caution, saying that a direct attack on a camp they would just stumble upon would be suicide, as they would be as surprised as the boys.

Of the camper reinforcements, Clarisse was naturally wanting immediate action. Chris was trying to advise her to caution, but she shrugged him off, and he sighed in defeat. Will Solace and one of the Apollo campers were with Clarisse, the other wanting to wait and find out for sure where the boy's camp was.

Percy was torn between the two, but Annabeth, the wise one in the group, voted to wait and find out where they were. When she spoke, everyone stopped and listened, for everyone knew she was the master strategist. It was her opinion that ceased the argument that was waging, and the group reluctantly came to an agreement to find out where the boy's camp was. The question was, just where could they find the answer without risking any more hunters.

And that was when Percy got an idea...a rather inspired one if he would say so himself.

"Percy, just what are you looking for?" Annabeth asked. Percy was rummaging within his pack and withdrew several snack bags and other related items.

"I am going to ask a friend of mine for help, and if I can offer some of the more tasty things, then maybe she'd be more willing to help us out," Percy explained.

"And just who is this friend of yours?" Thalia asked.

"You'll see."

Percy approached the bonfire in the middle of the hunter's camp. He threw several bits of the sweets he had brought into the fire and called out.

"Lady Hestia, I need you! If you can help us, then you'll get a lot more!"

Before their eyes, a little girl about eight appeared within the flames. But she seemed completely at ease within the burning embers, and smiled at Percy when she appeared.

"Hello Percy."

"Lady Hestia," Percy acknowledged.

The hunters bowed slightly in honor of Hestia, and the campers followed their example, Clarisse being the last to do so.

Percy arose and looked at Hestia, a look of appeal on his face.

"Hestia, we need help. You are the goddess of the hearth, and so you would see everywhere that a campfire would be, is that right?"

Hestia raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Well, we need you to tell us where something is. Artemis has been kidnapped. We know she has been captured by some kind of boy-hunters being led by Lord Orion. Don't ask me how he came back, none of us know. But that is the case and we need to find out where the boy's camp was. Artemis is your relative. She is one of the virgin goddesses, just like you. So surely you would help us?"

Hestia listened to Percy speak with rapt attention, and nodded slowly at several parts. She was silent for a moment. Too long a moment...

"Hestia?" Percy tentatively asked, when she was silent for a while. "Will you help us?"

Hestia had a serious look on her face.

"I will help you...on one condition."

Percy swallowed. This did not sound good...

-Boy's camp-

Artemis heard them enter and she rushed to wake her sleeping body up, but she was too late by just a bit. She grunted as a boot gave a half-strength kick to her side.

"Wakey, wakey, wakey, oh great goddess of hussies. Lord Orion is ready to have his way with you."

Before she was still fully awoken, she felt rough arms scoop her up from between her armpits, and she was half-dragged to the large tent in the middle of the boy's encampment...

-Hunter's camp-

"I cant believe she is making me do this..." Percy mumbled.

"Oh come off it. They're only marshmallows," Annabeth snapped.

"But there my mom's home made variety! I love these!"

"Percy, for gods' sake, just burn them already..."

Percy mumbled in defeat. With a sullen expression he carefully picked out several and tossed them into the pit.

"Lady Hestia..." He mumbled, his head bowed.

Hestia appeared in the flame. Her face was lit by bright Ecstasy. Her eyes glinted and her tongue swept forward across her lips. Percy had never sen her so happy before.

"Incredible Percy. Just where did you come across these wonderful marshmallows! They are even better than standard ones!"

"They are my mom's..."

"I must seek out your mother some time and purchase some of these delicacies. They are worthy of Olympus itself!"

"I'm glad you like them..."

"Throw more in!"

Percy complied, and Hestia let out a cry of joy and satisfaction.

"Well, I gave you your treat...now will you help us Hestia?"

Hestia gave Percy a smile, completely happy with her new treat pursuit.

"Of course. Give me a moment."

She dissipated for a moment, as she said. Tension filled the air so intensely that a knife could not penetrate it if possible. And then she reappeared as suddenly as she had dissipated.

"They are about ten miles west of this camp. By the look of it, Artemis does not seem to be being treated fairly well."

There were cries of outrage from the hunters.

"What do you mean!" Thalia demanded.

"I saw several of the boys dragging her forcefully toward a large tent. They were smiling and jeering about something, but I could not make it out. I hope they were not dragging her off to that tent to...well..."

"I swear on the river Styx, if they so much as touch her in that way what so ever, I will personally rip their throat out!" Thalia cried out, a rage like nothing Percy and Annabeth had ever seen upon her. Thunder boomed in the distance. There was silence for a moment. Then Hestia spoke.

"I guess I'd best be off. I don;t want the other gods to know I have been helping you."

"Alright. Thanks Hestia. We owe you one," Percy said.

"I will accept repayment in these lovely marshmallows...farewell." She vanished in a lick of flame.

-Boy's Camp-

She was thrown down to the ground, as seemed custom among them. Artemis kept her eyes on the ground and did not initially raise her head. She heard the boy's in the tent leave her, and the she was all alone within, with only one powerful man in the tent with her. But she did not want to look him in the eyes, not yet. She heard a chuckle.

"What would the matter be? Is the goddess of the hunt afraid to look a mere man in the eyes?"

Artemis kept her head to the ground, though the sound of his voice caused her lower lip to tremble. Orion chuckled a bit more.

"By the gods Artemis, are you near tears?"

Artemis finally looked up, and did not fear letting Orion see her tears.

"I am near tears, that is true Orion. I am close to crying because the only man that I ever could love has become so twisted. So twisted, as to think that I would deliberately hurt him."

Orion only gave her an almost pitying look and slowly shook his head.

"Oh Artemis, I saw what happened that day. I saw my own body with an arrow in my forehead. And If I recall correctly, it was a silver arrow that could only have come from your bow. Do you still deny it?"

Artemis grit her teeth.

"So you do? Or are you just thinking that I am the most forgiving thing on Earth?"

"No Orion. I do not deny that I fired the shot. But I deny that I was the one who killed you."

"Oh, so your arrow, that you confess you fired, killed me and you say that you did not actually kill me? Do you take me for a fool Artemis?" He had a look of visual anger on his face. But for now, he was mostly keeping his composure.

"And just how does that work, Artemis? How could you deny killing me when you fired the arrow?"

"Orion...listen to me very clearly. It was my brother..."

Orion's eyebrows raised in surprise. He tilted his head in wonder and stared at her for a moment. Almost as if she might be...

"Apollo fired that arrow?"

"No it was me...if you would allow me to just touch you for a moment, I could show you everything."

Orion chuckled direly.

"You actually think I would be stupid enough to allow you loose for even a moment? The moment we allow you free, you reveal your true form and vaporize us all."

"No Orion. I swear that I will not kill any of you if you would just allow me to show you the truth. When you see what really happened, then you'll stop all this. Please Orion, I do not want to kill anymore. This is the result of a lie you have been fed by someone. Please let me just show you the truth."

"I know perfectly well just what the truth is. I reviewed it from a certain goddess...one who has been very helpful with our efforts to destroy you and every one of your beloved little hunters."

Artemis's lips gave way to an almost beastly snarl.

"And just who is it that has been showing you these lies...who has been helping kill my huntresses!"

There was a flash of bright light. When it dissipated, Artemis saw the goddess who had just entered the tent. And she snarled like a wolf with threatened pups when she saw her face.

"Hello Artemis...long time no see."

"Nemesis..."

**I know you all where hoping for a longer talk, and it will be continued in the next chapter. But I had not updated in a long time, and so I wanted to post this before I lost my groove again, so to say.**

** I thank you all for your patience, and I promise that the next few chapters...which will be coming much faster than this...will bring the whole thing to a conclusion.**

** Just in case any one is interested, I have also begun an OC fic titled "To Hell And Back". I would love it if everyone who has been following this story would read and review that story as well, just to inform me of what you think. And if anyone is getting "Sue-alarms" setting off, I put him through the test...it read him as not Sue.**

** Well, I better let you all get back to business. I thank you all for enduring the wait. The last few chapters will be coming very soon. Until then, run fast, duck low, and remember to wear Kevlar.**

**-RWBRyan**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Final Attack

Nemesis stood before Artemis, gently caressing Orion's arm. She gave her a grin that looked of blood and slaughter, the blood she had helped in shedding. She moved away and began to circle Artemis, Artemis never letting her get out of her gaze. She kept her eyes locked on Nemesis's, and if looks could kill, Artemis would have reduced her to ashes at this point.

"So it was you all along!" She snarled.

"Oh yes Artemis. It was me..." Nemesis gently cooed, a parody of Artemis's anger.

"And just why, Nemesis, have you tricked Orion into believing I killed him? Why have you helped his hunters make war on my own?"

"You did kill him Artemis...don't you remember?"

"I did not do it deliberately! I was tricked! And you know it! You simply took advantage of the circumstances of his death to turn him against me!"

"Don't listen to her, Lord Orion. She is just trying to save herself. She will say anything to drag you back to her."

Orion walked up to Nemesis's side.

"I would watch my tongue around Nemesis, Artemis. She has proved herself far more helpful and trustworthy than most women. I suppose I should thank you for one thing, however."

Artemis breathed a helpless breathe and swallowed.

"I should thank you for opening my eyes to how treacherous women can be. I should have realized that you who preach against the male gender would never grow to love one. I was younger and foolish then. I actually believed you were capable of love. But the only thing you truly love is the stamping out of men. You would even toss out your own huntresses for loving a man. Toss them out like a broken sandal or discard them like a shattered weapon. You are something that should be stamped out, Artemis. Stamped out of this reality and all of your brainwashed huntresses along with it, for they believe that they could actually be hunters."

Despite her feelings, she could not hide the anger that built up within her at that moment.

"Do you not read your history Orion? You would see that men have been responsible for the most bloodiest disasters in human existence. So who are you to call women treacherous? If you were a real man, then you would undo these bonds and let me show you what the truth is. The truth that Nemesis has blinded you from, twisted into a form of false reality. She has manipulated you from the onset, and you are just playing right into her hands."

Nemesis lashed out and struck Artemis fiercely across the face. Ichor flowed from her nose, and Nemesis snarled and raised her hand for another attack. But as she brought it down, a larger hand grabbed her arm as it began it's descent and stopped it cold. Nemesis looked in shock to see that Orion had halted the blow.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" She quietly screeched at him.

"She is a prisoner. And we do not harm helpless prisoners, who are bound and cannot resist. At least not any more than we have to."

Nemesis stared at him for a moment, and then tore her arm out. She glared one last time at Artemis, before swirling around and leaving in a huff. A bright flash later, and she was gone. Orion stared at the space she had been just seconds ago and slowly turned back to Artemis.

"Why did you stop her Orion?" Artemis asked almost bitterly. "Would you not have enjoyed watching me suffer? Is this not the point, your little revenge?"

Orion looked her in the eyes, and Artemis saw something strange in them. Just for a moment, she would have sworn she saw pity in his eyes, and something else. She could not describe it, but it was almost like their was conflicting feelings fighting for control within the man. But it was quickly subdued and Orion looked at her with his usual disgust.

"Don't kid yourself Artemis. I only did that so she would leave. She always leaves if she can't get her way, like most women."

"Why would you want her gone...you seemed far more interested in her company than mine."

Again, something changed in his eyes, but what it was, Artemis still could not decipher. But could she...would it be possible? Could seeing her tied up and helpless before him be awakening something within him, a kind of "other thoughts". Could there very well be conflicting emotions fighting a war of their own within his heart, the two wolves of hate and love tearing at each other within. Could Orion...could Orion still love her?

"How did you come back Orion. After all these centuries, how is it that you have returned?"

Ahh, the million dollar question, as some mortals would say. I think that it is quite obvious, considering recent events. The so called 'Second Titan War' ended just months ago, did it not? As you know, Kronos gathered allies in anything and anyway he could. Just think Artemis. I had languished in the stars, waiting for a chance for revenge in someway, and so when my spirit was summoned to the Earth by Kronos, who had Nemesis as his ally, then of course I would accept his offer of revenge. And Nemesis had also been waiting for this chance."

"What would Nemesis have against me?" Artemis asked, still trying to wrap her mind the fact that Orion had allied himself with Kronos.

"You wronged me Artemis. Nemesis is the goddess of revenge. She knew just how powerfully my soul would want it. And she knew that with her powers combined with Kronos's, then they would be powerful enough to bring me back."

"And so you came back to this world, for the sole purpose of ridding it of my hunters and myself?"

"That and more. You have seen the prowess of my hunters. I decided the world needed a group of real hunters, not these pathetic excuses that you call hunters. Your little band is not worth the spit on my brothers' boots."

Artemis felt another pang of anger, but swallowed her tongue. _He is being manipulated. All his anger is based on false knowledge. If I can just get one shot..._

Maybe it was time to try a different tactic. Men always loved to be challenged, and to overcome it.

"Well, I never knew you to be so easily twisted."

He whirled around, his face burning with anger.

"I am not twisted by anything. I am the hunter Orion, the one who could hunt any animal beneath Zeus blue sky!"

Okay, that angered him alright. Now she needed to keep it up.

"I am only suggesting Orion, that you have been fed false information. If you were to free me from my bonds, I could show you what really happened. But I guess you are afraid."

Orion was in her face in a second.

"_I_..._fear_..._nothing_!"

"Oh you do Orion. I beat you in that fight. Do you not remember several days ago? I defeated you in battle. You would have been at my mercy, and I could have done what I wished. You were only saved by the commendable skill of your lieutenant." Artemis knew that when she saw real skill, she knew it. And so she could not hold that compliment for Jason.

"I was unprepared for that fight, regrettably assuming you weaker than I thought. But I will not be making that mistake again."

"Then unchain me Orion. Fight me as the man you call yourself. You know something Orion, I have met some men that I would actually think braver than you, and much younger."

Orion's hand twitched, twitched toward his sword at his thigh.

"He is only sixteen and he has defeated Kronos himself...I trust you have heard of him? After all, he is your half-brother."

"Yes Artemis, I know of him. Perseus Jackson, my brother by Lord Poseidon. I hear my father broke the oath he took after that cataclysmic war in the 1940's. And yet through all those troubles and dangers, Perseus Jackson never once gave up nor gave in. Yes Artemis, I know of my brother's exploits."

"He goes by Percy, Orion. And he is far braver than you ever have been...at least lately."

"And just what in Hades is that suppose to mean!"

"You used to be the braves man I knew Orion. Your courage would have put Hercules and the ancient Perseus to shame. No one could have fought the scorpion and not fled in terror, and yet you stood firm. And here you stand, scared to allow me loose, even if I were to promise that all I would do is open your eyes. You have been lied to Orion. I did not kill you on purpose. It was my brother's trickery that led to your demise. I couldn't have hurt you...I love you Orion. I still love you, even if that may seem unlikely. Just unbound me."

Orion looked into her eyes and Artemis focused her powers, not to control him in any way, as with her celestial bonds, that would be impossible. But she stared deeply into his eyes for the purpose of showing that power in her, a power she had held only for him, and had kept dormant since his death over 3000 years ago.

She had said that love is something no one needs. But while no one needs love, love is something that no matter how one says they can do without, it finds them. They do not need it, and sometimes it catches them and forces them into situation they rather have not gotten into. But she had always evaded it, never fallen prey to it's ensnaring grasp. And she rejoiced in her freedom, unlike Hera, unlike so many mortal women, bound to a man most did not even choose for themselves. It was pure freedom.

And then she met Orion.

She stared into his eyes, the eyes of a hunter, virtually as sharp as her own. Artemis was the heart of the hunt, as her being the goddess of such dictated. But as she was the heart, Orion was the soul. His skill was renown and known throughout the known world, and all could not match him. Even at times, Artemis herself could not slay an animal with as much proficiency. And gods forbid, but she had actually fallen for this man. Fallen in love, yes the dreaded feeling. She had fought it off all that time, and yet in the end, in claimed her.

Orion stared into her eyes with as much intensity as she, and she saw the conflicting thoughts and feelings, the wolves of his heart, tearing at each others throats.

The wolf that still loved her fought against the wolf implanted by Nemesis, howling that she killed him and deserved to be torn apart at her body's seams. Orion's hands actually started to shiver...

-Outside boy's camp, in the woods surrounding it-

Hearts pounding as one, feet running as one, and their minds focused on one objective, the campers and hunters surrounded the camp. They made no sound, knowing that the moment that these boy's were alerted, there would be no hope of advantages, and it would be a bloody uphill battle that they could very likely lose. Percy and Annabeth stayed together whispering quietly to each other as they took their position.

This would be their final battle. Either the boy's would go down or the huntresses would cease to exist by morning. There would be no compromise. The hunters would get their mistress back from these boys or they would die trying. Both sides had had blood shed and heartbreak. It was time to end it all.

Annabeth had come up with the idea, and now it was time for the hunters and campers to implement it. They would divide into four groups, and each would attack the boys camp from all four sides at almost the same time. Percy, Annabeth and Thalia, along with several others, would attack first. This was the signal to the other groups to charge.

Percy watched Thalia send each group off, each of them a mix of hunters along with half-bloods from the camp. Thalia gave them a look of 'I'll give you a moment', and then walked toward the boy's camp at a crouch, along with the other group members. Percy sighed and turned to Annabeth, who was looking at him with a grin on her face.

"You look like we're going to a funeral, Seaweed Brain."

"I know. I just hope that I eventually am not going to your funeral."

Annabeth's grin disappeared and her gaze softened. She looked up into his sea green eyes and brought their faces close to each other.

"After all that we have been through Percy? You really think that this is going to be the death of me? I won't be killed Percy."

"How can you be so sure? From what we've been hearing about these boy's the-"

She cut him off with a kiss. Percy thought this was one of those quick 'shut you up' kisses, but instead she held it long and slow, right up until she almost fainted from lack of oxygen. Then she slowly broke off, her expression serious, yet in a loving way.

"I won't be killed Percy...not while you are next to me. With you there...I'll be fine as ever."

Percy tried to think of something to say, but couldn't form the words. Then Annabeth gave him her classical smile.

"Come on Seaweed Brain. Let's kick these boys asses and get Artemis back."

Percy could only grin as they crouch-walked toward Thalia's position. Thalia greeted them with an amused eyebrow raising.

"Had enough you two?"

"Shut it, when do we attack?"

"As soon as I think the other group have had enough time to get in position...not long."

-Orion's Tent-

In Orion's mind, Artemis could see the struggle.

The struggle to believe what Nemesis had told him, and what seemed like honest truth coming from Artemis. Orion had once told her that nothing could stop him from loving her, and was that promise coming through now? Was he now unknowingly remembering that promise?

She watched Orion fight his inner battle, and ached to bring some comfort to the man she once loved...no, still loved. As much as Artemis thought she should not, after all that had been done to her and her hunters by him and his group, she was...incredibly...still in love with him. How could fate have orchestrated so heated a passion as these two shared, and now that love was being put to the ultimate test due to Nemesis's treachery. The battle raged in Orion's mind, and Artemis could see the question within his mind.

_Do I let her free to show me this truth? Or do I destroy her as much as I can?_

His battle continued, but now he was moving closer to her. Artemis did not want to get her hope up, but they soared anyway. His hand moved away from his side, away from his sword. And slowly, ever so slowly, they reached for the latch on her shackles.

"Please Orion. Let me loose, and I can set you free..."

The hand gently brushed the latch...

And that was when the battle cry erupted from the woods near them. Orion snapped out of his fight within and looked toward the sound of the fighting. And then his eyes turned back to Artemis, only this time filled with rage that rivaled even Lord Zeus.

"You planned this! _You led them here_!

"No! I had nothing to do with whatever is happening out there..._please_ Orion, let me loose!"

"_I SHOULD NEVER HAVE TRUSTED YOU_! To think that I was actually about to allow you to do whatever you were planning to do? I swear on the river Styx Artemis, after we have dealt with whatever you brought here, I will deal with you...permanently."

He whirled around, his sword in his hand. Shouts and curses filled the air outside as he left the tent and bellowed out orders for his brother hood to come to arms. As he left, Artemis hung her head in disbelief. Oh how close he had come. How close to allowing her to show him the truth...and now it may very well have been ruined...

-Jason-

_How the hell had they discovered us?_

Jason was finishing his dinner when the cry went out. He looked to his left to see a wave of huntresses and strange, armor clad folks mostly a bit older than them, charging out of the woods. They wielded swords and some had shields, and they let out a cry as they rushed the startled brotherhood. But this was quickly repudiated.

Jason grabbed his sword, which lay propped up next to him on the stump of a tree he was sitting, and shouted at his brothers to fight back. To their luck, many of the brothers carried their swords on them at all times, a lesson drilled into them hard the moment they enter the hunt.

He rushed forward and began to engage one of the strange new people that the huntresses seemed to have allied themselves with. He fought with his sword amiably, but It was not long before Jason struck him down with a slash to his lower neck, just above where the armor would have protected him. He let out a gurgled cry and fell, blood oozing from his wound. He whirled to face another huntresses, charging at him from the right side and ducked low, allowing the huntress's momentum against her to throw her over his shoulder. But before he could turn and finish her off, more cries erupted from all around the brotherhood's camp and a lot more of the huntresses and their new reinforcements charged out.

But the brother hood rose to the challenge. The brotherhood fought back with vicious skill and unparalleled fury. Orion's training had come to the forefront as the brothers fought and whirled against the attackers, many of them fighting multiple foes. Mikhail, the son of Ares that had kicked Artemis during her taunting, was fighting a large, very muscular girl that seemed almost as good as Jason when it came to fighting. But while Mikhail may not have been her better, he was certainly her equal, and the two whirled in a deadly dance.

He saw a blond haired girl, one of the armored unknowns, fighting one of his brothers. Neither could best the other, though it seemed his brother was quickly gaining the upper hand. And the next fighter he noticed took his breathe away.

The boy could not seem to be touched. He was the one who seemed to have a definite edge over the brotherhood. He watched several of his own brother rush at this strange boy, and with quick and accurate slashes and thrusts, he took down all three that he fought. He seemed like a demon straight out of Hades, to be able to fight as he did.

And then that girl whom he hated most was in front of him. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, stood there, her sword poised in front of her, and her shield at the ready. Jason laughed at the sensation of fear coming from the shield. He had learned to block it out long ago.

"It ends tonight!" The girl cried out.

"Yes it does, you miserable little bitch."

Their blades clashed, and the fight erupted into the fiercest that Jason had yet fought. None of his sparring with his brothers or even Lord Orion himself matched what this little girl was dishing out. But Jason did not back down, and met her skill with his own. She would make a slash from the left, and he would block it. He counter-attacked with a downward slash and her shield stopped it's descent. Then she would stab with her sword and Jason would leap back, just out of reach. And the process would continue, until one of them was dead.

-Percy-

Percy had fought off several of the brotherhood already. And he breathed deeply and forced himself to regain control of his breathing. Even being a child of the Big Three, along with the curse of Achilles, these boys were deadly. He nearly had his head taken off by one.

He turned to find Annabeth fighting one of the boys and was shocked that she was beginning to lose. He took several steps forward before she was slashed across the thigh and cried out, dropping her blade and falling to the ground, clinging to her leg. Percy felt a rage that he rarely ever felt, the only time being when she stepped in front of a dagger meant to kill him.

Lucky for him, there was a creek nearby that was full of water. He felt a tug in his gut and seconds later large roar filled the air. Several paiurs or triplets of fighting stopped, and stared for a moment at the huge missile of water that was heading right for them. The boy standing over Annabeth looked up just in time to get utterly blown away by the water blast. Percy kept the blast going around, giving Annabeth cover until one of the hunters and Connor Stoll could carry here back from the fighting. He then launched it at a rallying group of boys, attempting to scatter them once more.

But it stopped...

Percy focused on it, but the water projectile just stood frozen in midair, almost as if something was taking his control of it away. He put more power into it, trying to regain control of his element from whatever was doing this, and then he simply could not hold it any longer. His power drained, the water fell to the ground with a wet slap, soaking the fighters around it. Not that they noticed.

"So, you are the great Perseus Jackson."

Percy whirled around to find a large, very muscled man standing behind him. He seemed mid-twenties, with a slight beard starting to grow. His shoulder length hair made him look like some actor from a movie about ancient Greece, and he would have been the champion warrior in such a movie.

He smiled with humorlessness as he examined Percy, and Percy, even as he raised his blade in a defensive manner, felt a chill go through is spine as he stared back at this man. It became obvious that it was he that took control of the water missile that Percy made from the nearby creek.

"Who are you!" Percy demanded.

The man chuckled a hearty chuckle, which made him seem all the more powerful.

"Did you not get the news, my young brother? I am Orion, the greatest hunter mankind has ever known. And I am also a son of Poseidon, so I have all the abilities and tricks you do as well."

Percy gathered his bravery for what he knew was going to become one hell of a fight...he simply saw no way out of this one.

"Well, that may be true, but I guess you forgot one important fact!"

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what is that?"

"I have bathed in the river Styx. I have the curse of Achilles. And so I am invincible." Percy gathered a bit more of his courage. "If you want to get out of here alive, then run now and take your friend with you!"

Orion looked at him for a moment, and then threw his head back in a large laugh. Percy was struck at how he could laugh when he was facing someone with the curse of Achilles. Then he lowered his head back to Percy, his smile still in place but his eyes becoming serious.

"Silly boy. The curse of Achilles makes you invulnerable for the most part. But there is always that one spot, that one area of your body that can be made to suffer a hundred times what it would usually. All I would have to do is find it. And then you would be taken down for the rest of this fight."

Percy raised his sword to a higher position, the point toward Orion. Orion slowly drew his, a large broadsword. The two faced each other for a moment, each daring the other to make their move. And then Percy decided to strike first.

He lunged forward and made a stab at Orion's chest. Orion reacted faster than Percy thought possible and blocked it aside easily. Then Percy made several slashes toward Orion head and neck, the power of the Styx giving him extra speed and power with his attacks. But It seemed that Orion was also powered by something, for surely he could not be this good a sword fighter. He parried every last one of Percy's attacks.

Percy made a jump back and redoubled his attacks, this time focusing more on Orion's midsection and trying to use his smaller height to his advantage. But Orion was able to block even that, his broadsword whirling like a hurricane within his hand. Percy let out a cry of rage and made a downward strike from a vertical angle, not caring if he exposed his belly. He was invulnerable there.

Orion met Percy's strike and held it there. Percy Grunted with the effort as the two began a test of strength to bring their sword down on the head of the other. Percy could not understand what was happening. How was Orion able to fight him so efficiently when Percy had the curse of Achilles?

Orion even had a smile as he fought, as though he were amused by Percy's efforts. He snickered as Percy strained to bring his blade down.

"Maybe you should know Perseus Jackson. While you may have been enhanced by the River Styx, I myself have also been enhanced in ways you are clearly now familiar with. Kronos and Nemesis gave me power beyond anything from that blasted river."

"What...?"

Percy slackened in confusion and Orion took the advantage to win their little duel of strength. He brought his blade down fiercely, forcing Percy to make a jump back and narrowly miss being sliced right through the middle. Orion attacked with the ferocity of a wild beast, forcing Percy to block and dodge, not having even a remote chance of striking back.

Orion made a move that Percy did not expect, and suddenly he was behind him. Percy panicked, knowing what where his Achilles spot was. He whirled and managed to block a sword stab to the small of his back, and Orion grinned in triumph. He attacked again, this time like a ferocious beast on steroids. Percy was frantically blocking blows and moving out of the way of others, and Orion kept up the attack.

Finally, he saw an opening and slashed forward, but Orion seemed to have wanted such a move. He spun out of the way and continued to spin, using forward momentum to suddenly pass Percy and be at his side, and a little ways behind him. And when Orion finished his spin, he jabbed his elbow directly onto the small of Percy's back.

Percy screamed as it felt a thousand daggers had stabbed themselves into his whole body. The shock wave tore through him, forcing him to the ground and his sword out of his hand. His mouth was open in silent scream as he slowly thrashed, the pain worse than holding the sky. Orion stood over him and gazed down at his withering form, a look of grudging pity on his face.

"It was only a matter of time, Perseus, before I found out where your spot was. The way you frantically protected your small area of your back gave the area away. I know you are suffering Perseus, and so allow me to relieve you of this pain. It is the least I can do for you...brother."

He raised his sword and prepared to give a powerful thrust directly into the small of Percy's back. And as the blade began to fall, another sword lashed out and deflected it. Orion turned to see a young woman, auburn hair and a lithe, athletic frame, along with the face of a goddess. Which was exactly what she was.

"Leave him be Orion. This is between you and me," Artemis said, her sword raised to a defensive position.

**My fingers are aching from writing all that right off the bat...now I know how Xed Alpha might feel after writing those long chapters (ouch!). I hope you all have enjoyed this story so far. I actually might just update this in the next few days and get this story to it's conclusion. I noticed that a nice soul nominated it for an award, and so I want to get the whole story out before any voting takes place. Until then, review and Happy Hunting!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Truth will set thee free

Artemis held her head low in despair as the sounds of battle erupted from all around her. She heard the initial cries of surprise and of weaponry drawn. The sounds of the initial strikes and bodies smashing into one another. The sound of metal clanging against metal, as the desperate and the courageous fought to survive. And she heard the occasional cry of pain as another poor boy or girl's body was breached by unforgiving steel.

Silent tears slowly drooped down her cheeks and onto the ground, as she heard what had been wrought all those centuries ago. Fate seemed to have waited for just these past few weeks to rear it's head and bring about all the suffering endured by both parties. Orion had spent all his time in the stars thinking that she had meant to kill him, and she had spent those millennium silently mourning for him. She had kept it hidden from her huntresses all this time, but there were those times in the night, as rare as they were, when she would silently whimper in despair for that brave hunter, who had successfully hunted and touched her heart.

As she lay there in misery, her mind replayed all those meetings with Orion. The initial hatred of him, for how dare a mere mortal man be able to match her in the art of hunting. And then as she grew to know more of him, to have the feelings begin to reverse to friendship. And then...father help her...to love. She had fallen in love with a mortal man, the one thing she preached against with unmatched ferocity. Aphrodite truly was a cruel woman.

And she had come so close to giving in to temptation. To feel his flesh against hers. To taste his lips as he slowly filled her with passion. To feel his power emanate through her as she was filled with his seed. She had sworn an oath to remain a virgin forever, but she had planned just a fortnight before his death to ask her father to remove that restriction.

And finally, that fateful day. Just as she was about to release herself from her oath and finally feel Orion, finally experience the one thing she would never have with any other man, Apollo just had to play at her strings. He just had to challenge her skills as an archer. And he had to pick out what turned out to be Orion's head, floating just above the water line. And she let her arrow fly, oh gods.

She thought back to when she was walking back toward where she and Orion had set up a camp and seeing his body washed upon the shore. She remembered the intensity of her screaming as she begged, pleaded with him to not leave her to the underworld. And she remembered how she had also begged her father to arrange for him to return from Hades, to allow him to become full of life once again, forever in her arms. But the meeting failed and she was left to cry over his body like a heart-broken maiden...which was exactly what she was at the moment.

But the Underworld would not dare have him. Not while she could prevent it. And so she did something she had rarely ever done to anything. She had captured his spirit with her power, and released it to the heavens. Released it, to from the constellation known rightfully as Orion the hunter, and to watch over her and the Earth for all time. And so she would only need to look up to remember his face and his skill, and to feel that she was never unwatched and alone.

But now, due to Kronos and Nemesis's meddling, he had returned, as she had originally wanted. But now he was wanting to kill her. After all the promises they had made beneath the moonlight, oaths of love they had sworn beneath the stars. He was now fighting against her with every soul of his being. To think that she would ever harm him deliberately...

She let out a gentle cry of sadness, the sound lost within the fury of the battle raging outside. How could she lie there and mourn in her pain, while others were dying outside for the reason of saving her? She could not comprehend why or how, only that her heart had taken such a beating...and her soul had been on fire for weeks now. If someone would just come in here and free her, then she could stop all of this. If she could challenge Orion and defeat him, then she could show him the truth. The truth that Nemesis had been force feeding him. She could set him free, and finally, just maybe, have him back with her.

She heard a rustling of the tent flap, and a young boy entered. But he was not dressed in the armor of the boy hunters, the dark, forbidding blending or black and red. He was dressed in the armor that was standard amongst those at Camp Half-Blood. He looked around for a moment and then spotted Artemis laying there, defeated in heart and soul.

He ran over to her as she raised her face to meet his. He had concern in his eyes as he examined the chains. He finally freed the locks from her, and Artemis gently rubbed the spots on her wrists where the cuffs had made an indention.

"What is your name?" She asked the boy.

"Will Solace my lady. Son of Apollo."

"Well, my nephew, you will be rewarded for this. But as of this moment, I must ask, where is Lord Orion?"

Will looked back at the entrance of the tent and turned back to Artemis.

"I last saw what looked like an older guy fighting Percy. They were going at it pretty hard."

"Very Well. Find shelter Will. This might very well become ugly."

She spotted a sword lying near Orion's bed, and picked it up, getting a feel for it's weight. She found it very fitting for her, almost as if the brotherhood forged it's own blades. It was perfect for what she needed.

She stepped out into the melee. All around her, campers and hunters and boys fought one another. Many of the boys were fighting multiple foes, being somewhat outnumbered. But they were showing the characteristic skill and bravery, being able to fight several foes at once quite easily.

She spotted Percy fighting Orion, and felt a jolt go right through her at the sight. Percy lay there, his mouth open in a silent cry of pain, and Orion stood above him, a sword held downward in his hand, ready to deliver a fatal stab through the one spot Percy could be harmed. She forced a surge of power through her and was instantly as their side, just as Orion began to stab. She lashed out and her blade smashed into his, throwing it off target and causing him to stagger back a moment.

"Leave him be Orion. This is between you and me!"

Orion looked at her as though he was surprised that she had been freed, but that quickly was overtaken by his characteristic, determined glare. He stepped back a few feet, the fighting behind him seeming to migrate away from him, almost as if guided by something. Artemis stood over the fallen Percy and used her foot to gently push him to the side, behind her and away from danger. Annabeth had recovered from her fight with her opponent, and had limped over to their position. She keeled next to Percy, but her eyes were on Orion.

"Annabeth, can you move him?" Artemis asked. Annabeth still had a nasty gash on her leg from where the boy she had been fighting had cut her, but she did not seem to notice the pain.

"Yes my lady."

"Do it."

Percy opened his eyes for a moment, filled with tears of pain, and saw Annabeth's face, framed by golden hair. For just a moment, he thought that it was angel. But he found it to be much more than a simple angel. He slowly reached out a hand and gently caressed Annabeth's face, ignoring how hard it was to move.

"Ann...Anna..."

"Don't talk Percy. Just keep still. I've got you Percy. I won't let anything happen to you..."

Percy slowly breathed out and his eyes closed, Annabeth's breathe caught in her throat and she gave a panicked look to Artemis, who took the risk of taking her eyes of a smiling Orion to examine Percy. Her ears did not detect Orion trying to take advantage of her lapse of attention.

Noticing Percy still barely breathing, but breathing still, Artemis gave Annabeth's quickly tearing face a reassuring nod.

"He is not dead Annabeth. The pain seems to have caused him to become unconscious. Get him out of here. I will deal with Orion."

"But Artemis-"

"Go!" Artemis ordered.

Annabeth quickly began to drag Percy through the battle, praying silently that no one noticed them, for she could not fight very well on an injured leg and still get Percy to safety.

Orion had watched their whole exchange from his position, a good ten feet away. He had a smirk on his face, though when he saw Annabeth's state of worry, he noticeably winced. Almost as if he were having a painful memory of his own for a change.

"Very touching. Do you remember when feelings like that would occur between us, Artemis? Before you killed me."

Artemis's eyes flared with a build-up of power. She raised herself to her full height, having changed her body into that of a young woman no more than twenty-two or twenty-three. She had Auburn hair going to her middle back, and a athletic, slim frame. This was a form Orion was much more familiar with, as it was the form she took in all her exchanges with him, be they bad or good from ages past. And it would be the form that she would set him free in.

"Yes Orion, I do remember. And I am going to bring him back. I am going to bring the Orion I know back to the fold, and not the one I see before me now, the twisted version of yourself, so corrupted by the lies of Nemesis."

Orion smiled in anticipation for a moment, and then it melted away to a predatory glare. He hoisted his blade and angled it before him, holding it in the direction of Artemis.

"I feel I better warn you, Artemis. Kronos and Nemesis gave me power that you have never before seen in a mortal. In fact, I most likely am not mortal in the sense of the meaning."

Artemis's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"They gave me powers, Artemis. They knew who it was that I sought to gain my revenge from. And so they gave me a large amount of their own powers to upgrade me far past mortals. Essentially, I guess you would say that they gave me the powers of a god. I have not aged one bit, and I can make my own brotherhood immortal as well. What does this make you think?"

Artemis eyes widened even more.

"Are you saying they made you a god!"

"I don't know if that would be the right term. But I have all the powers and skills you yourself possess...though I must say, I think I might just have more real skill.."

"I would not count on that Orion..."

"Truly, Artemis? Then come, and show me just how powerful you are!"

Artemis gathered a surge of power within her, and then bolted toward Orion, her feet never touching the ground. Orion, incredibly, was able to do the exact same thing.

Their blades clashed with the sound of a thousand screams, and around them, the battle went unnoticed. Nothing else in the universe mattered except the battle within the battle, the clash of man and woman, of love and hate.

-Thalia-

They had been fighting for quite some time. Thalia had done more parrying, striking and stabbing then she had ever done in her life against any one the most fiercest opponents she had ever fought were outmatched by the boy whom she struggled against now.

Jason had fought her tirelessly, not seeming to slow down for even an instant. His face was streaked with sweat and he was able to pull off moves against her that left her reeling for distance. He came at her again, with furious slashing from the left and right. His blows were powerful, and Thalia did not want to admit it, but he was using his naturally higher strength to gradually beat her down.

Thalia jumped back and put distance between them, but it was only enough time for her to raise her shield to take the next blow from Jason. He himself had no shield, seeming to rely more on speed and quickness to avoid blows that he would not have been able to block. He had flames burning in his eyes as he struck blow after blow against Thalia.

Jason was fighting with the intensity of someone who had been looked down upon for most of his life. He had grown up in a very abusive home, with an older sister and a mother who constantly beat and abused him. His father had died in the Gulf War when his mother was pregnant, and she seemed to have slipped into madness with his death. His sister would often accompany these beatings, and Jason would cower in a ball while they flaed his flesh with every instrument in the house.

The day that Orion had found him, he was curled up in a back alley, with his sister and mother beating him and even putting their cigarettes out in his flesh. He had knocked them both out, and had scooped up the poor, starving boy in his arms. He brought him out of his shell and showed him the way of the warrior, fierce and proud. Orion had been a father to him, and Jason was made the first of the Brotherhood Of The Hunt. He had trained the initial batch of boys, and then left it to Jason to show the path to those after them.

Orion had been a father to them all, not once becoming abusive or unfairly angry with any of them. And now the hunters, led by Artemis and Thalia, were threatening that. And Jason would sooner burn in Tartarus then see that come to fruition.

Thalia blocked another blow and spun, sweeping her sword in front of her and hoping to catch Jason's chest with her blade. But Jason spun the other way just in front of the blade's sweeping arc, and then brought it down upon her shield once again, forcing Thalia to her knees, beneath her shield. In desperation, Thalia stabbed forward, catching Jason off-guard, and managed to nick his thigh. But Jason did not even wince at the stab, and kicked his other leg out, smashing it into Thalia's chest and flinging her and her shield upward into an almost inadvertent back-flip.

Thalia was seeing stars, and she quickly stumbled back to her feet, having not time to retrieve her shield, which was flung out of her grasp as she was thrown back by the kick. Jason was after in a heartbeat, and Thalia was just able to raise her blade in a parry for Jason to smash his against. He held it there, pushing down on it.

"Give it up already, you little girl. You will never be able to defeat true warriors!" Jason yelled over the dim of battle.

"I was about to say the same thing to you Jason!" Thalia shot back.

Jason flung his blade up, and Thalia, surprise at the sudden move, could not reverse the strength that she had been using to hold back Jason's blade. She inadvertently stabbed her blade forward, and left a huge opening, which Jason took to stab his blade into her shoulder. Thalia shrieked in pain. Jason torn his blade out as Thalia collapsed in the ground, her head down, the pain overwhelming. She lay there on all fours, panting and whimpering, as Jason began to walk around her, his sword in his hand, and her blood slick and moist upon it.

His eyes blazed with murderous fury as he walked around and stared at this pathetic piece of humanity called women.

"You want to know something, oh great daughter of Zeus?"

Thalia did not reply, but raised her head and looked at him.

"I was abused for a very long time. You women have no respect for life, only your own ends. You do not care whom you hurty or who you have to manipulate. You toy with a man's heart and make him lower his guard, and then you rip it right out. This world would be far better without you women having a major role in it."

Thalia coughed and glared back at him.

"You blame women for the acts of a few. You cannot label all women as what you describe. Yeah, your family were pretty big bitches, but you can't label all girls like that."

"Oh, is that not what your beloved mistress preaches? That men are mindless savages? How many, daughter of Zeus, how many innocent little boys have been turned into animals for the simple act of dicovering her camp?"

Thalia could not reply to that...she did not have one. He was right on that point. Artemis rarely allowed a boy to see her camp and remain a human. But that did not mean that she could not change just a little...

"Jason, I know what you mean...I admit defeat in this fight, alright. You have beaten me. Now help me call off this fight and let Artemis show Orion what he is missing. You have been lied to Jason. You have been lied to by Orion, who in turn is being tricked himself. This whole fight is based on things that are not true. Jason, you have to help stop this!"

When Thalia said that the whole thing was a lie, Jason noticeably paused. Artemis had told him the same thing. His eyes lost some of the certainty that he had shown earlier, and his sword-hand noticeably tightened. Thalia thought she might just have gotten though to him, but that was soon interrupted...

-Artemis-

Sword slapped against sword. Their bodies moved as one. They danced in an almost eagle-like courtship ritual type of way. But this dance was far more deadly, and far more intense.

Artemis refused to give ground. She had suffered so much because of Orion's actions, and yet, to strike him dead would erase all love that was left in her heart for anything. Orion had come back, and no matter what it took, Artemis would see him safely returned to her. But as of now, he was making that somewhat difficult.

They were almost air-borne, spinning and leaping a straight jumping. Their swords formed a deadly barrier to any who would intervene, be they camper or hunter or brotherhood. Artemis fought back with all the power of the goddess of the hunt, and Orion was able to match her perfectly, his words of his "upgrade" by Nemesis and Kronos proving themselves true.

Orion's face was a mask of uncertain features, as Artemis was too busy fending of his sword to do much else. He would come at her from all angles, almost as if he knew exactly where she was planning to strike next and hoped to cut it off before it began. Artemis jumped back and as Orion charged toward her, she jumped forward in a flip over his head. She landed behind him and was preparing to deliver a slash to his upper thighs, when her blade met his. He had incredibly turned around in time to block the attack.

He then spun around and delivered a charged blow toward her chest, with Artemis leaning back in time for the blade to harmlessly cleave the air inches from her neck. Then she gave him a smashing blow to his helmet with the flat of her other hand. Orion was forced back several feet to the side by the blow, and Artemis jumped at him. She did not intend to stab him however.

When Orion righted himself, Artemis reached out with her hand and tore off his helmet, exposing his head. But before she could take any further action, Orion brought his own fist upward and gave a smashing blow to Artemis's cheek. She reeled at the power of his blow, as no mortal could deliver a blow like that to a deity. But she could not dwell on it, as Orion was furiously slashing at her from all angles.

Artemis managed to spin around him and deliver a kick to his back, which sent him to the ground. She leaped into the air and soared toward him, her blade poised to deliver a crippling blow. But Orion spun on the ground where he lay, and Artemis ended up cleaving dirt. From his position, Orion was able to deliver a kick to Artemis's that sent her to the ground as well, ribs feeling like they were starting to crack.

Orion shoved himself to his feet in an impressive display of arm strength, and charged toward Artemis, his blade coming down. But Artemis anticipated such a move, and was able to throw herself up as well, but not completely upward. Instead, she flew like a missile at Orion and tackled him square in the chest, forcing him to drop his blade in the shock of the hit. Artemis straddled Orion, and was reaching her hands around his head to connect with his mind when Orion flung his knee upward, smacking her in her lower back. She was flung over Orion, landing on the top of her head and rolling back before she could regain her equilibrium.

She rolled over from her back and had put one foot on the ground when she looked up to see her vision filled by Orion's boot. It smashed into her chest, and she was once again flung backward, only this time, the pain that erupted from her midsection was incredible. Her vision went briefly red and she gasped in pain. Orion slowly walked over to her, and she was able to put on foot on the ground and brace her self with both her hands on the ground as well. She looked up to see Orion's eyes and was shocked to see the pity in them.

"Why do I see pity within your eyes Orion? I thought you wanted this?" She asked, spitting out ichor.

"I do Artemis, you do not know how much it pleases me to see you feel just a fraction of the pain you caused me," he replied. But his eyes were betraying what she was sure was uncertain sympathy. Artemis coughed up more blood but kept her eyes on Orion.

"You have been lied to Orion. Nemesis has lied right through her teeth to you. And you have listened to her with more attention than a whipped dog. I know you are stronger than her. I know you must be seeing through her lies."

"Nemesis has done me no wrong, and I have no reason to doubt her. She is, after all, the reason I am now able to have my revenge."

"Revenge against what? I did not kill you with intention, Orion. I have told you what happened, and you will not believe me. I have offered to show you what happened, and you still fight against it. But you must be seeing through her lies. You are doing so right now."

Orion was indeed seeing something. His eyes were darting back and forth, to and fro. His mouth was slightly opened and he looked around as if he did not know what was going on. He looked to the ground for a moment, and then looked back at Artemis, who was in a position to spring forward if necessary, despite her hurt ribs.

"You are divided Orion. That is what has been happening to you. You still love me, I can see it in your eyes. And Nemesis has been lying to you, making you believe that I killed you with malice. Orion, I could never hurt you. When I said that I loved you all those centuries ago, I did not lie to you in the slightest. You know me Orion. When I give my word, that word is kept. I am not Nemesis, who will scheme to get what she wants. And you know all of this. You know Orion...that I love you.

Orion's mind was a fury of fire. It burned his mind and his body like hot iron in a wound. He grit his teeth in the mental pain, and all through his body, it was like his heart had been set to flames. He flung his head back and threw down his sword. He raised his hands to his head and screamed.

"NOOOOOO!"

Artemis saw her chance. And she took it. With a final surge of power she catapulted herself from her perch and landed on Orion's screaming form. Orion did not resist her, nor did he even seem to notice what was happening. Artemis held her hands to the temples of his forehead, and focused, trying to find what pained him so.

It all became so painfully clear. Nemesis may have gathered his participation, but she kept a fail-safe just in case. Artemis mentally scanned his mind and found that Nemesis had apparently planned for this instance, in case Orion began to turn away from her. She had implanted a kind of mental bomb within him, most likely when she and Kronos gave him the powers of a god. And now those powers were killing him.

Artemis would not dare allow this...not now.

She focused her own energies, and found the flames that were licking his mind from within. She strained with concentration, and using her final powers, she cooled the flames, and at last, Orion stopped struggling. Now she seized the chance to show him the truth.

"I am going to set you free now, Orion. Calm yourself..."

She began to show him the memories of that day. Her brother challenging her to a battle of archery and pointing out the target, unbeknown to her to be Orion's head above the water. She fired the shot and hit the target expertly. She showed him of her discovery of his body, and how deeply she cried for him and how all this time, in her most private moments, she still mourned for him. Orion's head buckled with the flow of information, and he gasped as she withdrew, the pain of his actions so blatantly clear.

Artemis felt herself weak with the exertions she had just gone through. She stood up and Orion slowly followed suit. Around them, the battle was still going on, but the exhaustion of both sides was showing. Orion's lip trembled as he looked into Artemis's eyes.

"Artemis...by the gods...what have I done?"

"What you thought was right, at least what was told to you by Kronos and Nemesis. And Nemesis implanted a trip-wire of sorts, it seems, to burn you alive if you began to turn away from her. It took a lot of power to remove it from you, but I got it out in time."

Orion's head slowly swayed in shock, and his eyes were starting to fill with tears. Artemis's eyes were filling with tears as well.

"Oh Artemis..._What have I done_!"

Artemis only raised her hand and brushed at his face. Orion reached up a hand and tenderly stroked it, his eyes still so full of pain. How could he have caused the one thing in this world he loved, the hunt personified, so much pain. Orion would rather have been burning in the deepest pits of Tartarus than cause any more pain to her.

"Artemis...I don't...I don't know what to say...I don't know what to do...I..."

Artemis gave him a sad smile. It seemed Orion was back.

"Well, for starters, call off your brethren."

Orion whirled around. He raised his voice to the max.

"Brothers, HALT!"

All around them, the fighting died off. Brothers who had been fighting for their lives all around them ceased and the hunters, along with the campers, stopped as well. All stared at Orion, who stood in the center with Artemis next to him.

Orion turned back to her. The emotion in his eyes was beyond comprehension. It was the eyes of a man who realized that he had just hurt the one he loved beyond anything they had gone through in their lives. And Artemis had gone through much in her thousands of years. Orion opened his mouth to speak, but could only form jumbled sounds. Artemis shushed him.

"Orion...I am just glad your free of Nemesis's lies..."

"Artemis...I cannot believe what I have done to you...please I...I love you..."

"I love you too Orion," Artemis said. And then her legs gave way beneath her. She fell forward, and would have hit the ground face-first had Orion not caught her.

"Artemis, my lady!" He yelled.

"I'm just exhausted Orion...I have used a lot of power in a short time. I'm just..." She trailed off, the weariness catching up to her at the most inopportune time.

Orion held her there, in the midst of the fighters all around them, who were shocked at what they were witnessing. Artemis reached up and stroked Orion's face from within his arms, and Orion reached down and gently stroked hers in return. She smiled at his touch, and Orion finally allowed a sad smile.

"Artemis...I do not know how to thank you for ridding me of these lies. I cannot believe that I followed Nemesis so blindly. I am so gullible a man. Please Artemis, if there is anything I can do to mend this pain I have inflicted, please tell me. I swear on my soul that it will be done."

"There is one thing you can do, for a start," Artemis said weakly.

"And that is?"

"Kiss me."

Orion seemed surprised at first, but he smiled and slowly brought his face down to hers. Artemis felt him press his lips against hers for the first time in several millennium, and her heart raced in response.

The warriors around them could not understand why these two were suddenly kissing when they should be trying to kill one another. But what they could not see was the power emanating from them, like two wolves in love, each in awe of thew power of the other. But the moment was short-lived when a bright flash of blinding light burst from the air above them.

Orion jumped up, his sword back in his hand. Artemis was too weak to get up, and she stared in shock at the light. Within it, a figure formed, and When Orion saw who it was, a hatred like no other the world could know flared within his heart.

"YOU!" He screamed.

Nemesis slowly lowered herself to the ground, a long blade in one hand and a javelin in the other. She stared at Orion and Artemis with pure anger, and she sparked like she was about to lose control.

"I should have known you would do this Orion. I should have known the love between you two was too strong for anything I could do. And so I have come to deal with Artemis personally. If you value your life, be somewhere else." She hoisted the javelin to a throwing stance.

Orion slowly stepped over Artemis's laying form, Artemis reaching out a hand to stop him, but Orion gave her a look that made her stop and whimper in fear. Fear for Orion. Orion turned to look at Nemesis, his sword hefted in front of him.

"You twisted my mind to make me hate my one love in this world. Caused me to attack and cause her pain. And now you come and threaten her when I have finally been freed from you...no Nemesis. I will not leave her to you. If you value your own neck, you will go away immediately and never cross my path again. For if you do..."

Nemesis ignored him and flung her javelin directly at Artemis. Cries of fear for her erupted from the throats of many of those gathered around, and Artemis closed her eyes in anticipation of what the weapon might do to her. She heard a snapping sound and in front of her, the shards of the javelin lay, something have cut in half during it's flight.

Orion now looked at Nemesis with unrivaled fury.

"_I SWEAR ON THE RIVER STYX, IF YOU TRY TO HARM ARTEMIS AGAIN, YOU WILL LIVE THE REST OF YOUR IMMORTAL LIFE REGRETTING IT!"_

Nemesis only hoisted her sword and smiled a dangerous smile.

"Come and get me then, Orion."

With a scream of rage, Orion charged...

**My longest chapter ever...well, I hope you all enjoyed how it went. I played with several different versions of how Orion would be told the truth of what happened and Nemesis arrival, but this is the one that sorta fell into place. And so remember to review, and the final chapters will not be far behind.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Revenge is sweet

-Jason-

Jason had won.

Jason had actually beaten the daughter of Zeus, the one who had defied him all this time. She lay there in pain and gasped within it's hold. Her sword lay away from her, and Jason knew that he could take her head off with one stroke if she made a move for it. She seemed to know that as well, and made no move to do so.

Instead, she had pleaded with him to end the fighting, and had made the same argument as Artemis had when he and Mikhail were giving her their taunts. This gave pause to Jason, who had been actually touched by Artemis's desire to stop the killing and "save" Lord Orion. He and the rest of them had made war upon them, in revenge for her killing of Orion, and yet she wanted to "save" him? Why would an opponent in war want to save their opponent. War was about slaying your enemy, not helping them.

But Thalia made her plea, even with her bloody and beaten, and at his knees. What kind of warrior made such a request, while laying in defeat and at the mercy of their opponent?

Could it be that he may have underestimated these girls? Could he have underestimated their integrity? Could the female gender actually still have honor within it after all?

But it completely went against what Orion had told him. The female gender could never be the same caliber as them. Men were born to be the human races' fighters, the warriors. That put them above all under the sky of Zeus, this girl's father. And yet, these girls had fought them, fought them fiercely, far beyond the capacity he thought that women _could_ fight.

He remembered Artemis words, and now the words of this defeated huntress. Orion himself was being misguided, they said. He had been fed false information, and now this whole war, and all it's blood were being shed for some lie told to Lord Orion? Could it be that all his exertions have come to naught?

Jason met the electric blue eyes of Thalia without any sign of standing down. He had been the victorious one after all.

"And just what makes you think that this war is fought on false pretenses, Thalia?"

"Orion was lied to by some third party. I do not know who, but Jason, Artemis did not mean to kill Orion. It was Apollo who had directed Artemis to shoot him, without her knowing whom it was. Apollo's trickery, not Artemis, was what killed Orion."

Jason's eyes never left hers, but his face tightened in this knowledge. Could it truly be that Orion had been told Artemis had deliberately killed him, and now some of his brothers had died for that lie. If it were so, then the one who had been spreading these stories, and starting all the bloodshed, would feel his sword within their gut. He had lost several brothers whom had been very close to him. Many of the first ones after him had been directly recruited by him. And so each brother lost was a tear in his heart.

There was a commotion, a high bellow of pain that could only be coming from one source. Jason whirled around to find Orion holding his hands to his head, and his face to the sky. His eyes were closed tight, and tears of pain were flowing from them. Artemis lay perched several feet away, and though Jason initially thought she was the cause of it, she seemed a surprised as anyone else. Jason was about to run to his aid when Artemis leaped forward and tackled him. She then straddled him, despite his screaming struggling body withering beneath her.

"Lord Orion!" Jason cried out. He began to run to his aid, only to find that Thalia had lunged forward on her good leg and wrapped her arms around his leg, stopping him from moving.

"Don't Jason! She is trying to help him!"

"Get off me you bitch!"

"Look damn you! She is helping him!"

Jason turned back to find that Orion seemed to have calmed, and Artemis leaning over him from his waist, her eyes closed and her fingers gently resting upon his temples. What followed shocked Jason more than anything he had seen lately.

Artemis slowly got up and Orion did as well. He seemed different, as though the fire was gone within him. He almost seemed like he was blubbering in front of Artemis. How could this be? Orion would not show subservience to anyone that Jason knew, not even Lord Zeus himself.

He saw Orion shrug his shoulders ina kind of helpless way, and Artemis speaking calm words to him, words he could not make out. And he saw, gods, forbid Artemis reach out and tenderly stroke Orion's eye area, brushing at what couldn't possibly be tears. And Orion, when he should have hacked that arm off, reached up and tenderly stroked her hand.

_What is the meaning of this?_

His mouth was slightly open in wonder and he looked back to his leg, only to find Thalia had gotten to her feet, her weight on her unhurt leg. She watched the two hunters gaze into each others eyes, tears forming in both of them, and a small smile grew on her face.

Orion suddenly whirled around and bellowed out in his command voice.

"Brothers, HALT!"

All around them , the fighting died out. The two sides were exhausted, and they parted from each other to regroup with their own faction. But the two sides glared daggers at the other, and each one was just waiting for the other to make a wrong move and then start the fight again. Jason stared in wonder at what was happening. What had just transpired before his eyes?

He looked at Thalia, who just gave him a nod of her head.

"Seems Artemis finally showed him the truth."

Jason only looked back to see Artemis faint. There were some cries of alarm, but Orion caught her. He held her there, and the two whispered some more words. And the gods as the witnesses, the two of them kissed. There were some sharp intakes of breathe from both sides in rude surprise. Just what happened to make them suddenly like lovers?

That was when a bright, sudden light erupted onto the scene. Everyone present had to shield their eyes, lest they get a permanent afterimage. When the light died off, a figure of a woman was standing in the air, slowly descending down to the ground. Orion screamed in rage at her and the woman flung a javelin at Artemis, whom Orion sliced in half with his sword.

And then he attacked...

-Orion-

Orion could not believe what had happened...and how he could be so gullible.

All this time, he had been lied to. The images that Nemesis had shown him had been only a fabricated part of what happened. And he ate it up like a gospel. He had brought an intense hatred of the only woman, mortal or goddess, that he loved beyond all. She was the hunt personified, and he could never love anything better than her. Nemesis had made him attack her and her huntresses, made him raise his hand against something he never could do otherwise.

And for this, Nemesis was going to suffer...and suffer horribly.

He rushed at her with all his strength, his mind set upon one objective. Nemesis only grinned as she readied her blade for his attack, and Orion was quick to humble her. With a cry of rage to steel his heart, he brought his blade down violently upon Nemesis. Nemesis brought hers up in a parry, and the sound of their blades crashing echoed throughout the valley.

Orion did not try to beat her in a test of strength. He did not have the patience for that. He whipped his blade around hers and made furious stab at her face, which she tilted her head back at an impossible speed to avoid. Then she slashed at his own face, which he ducked to avoid. He kicked at her chest, but she caught it with her hand. She then threw him up with all her might, flipping him into the air.

But Orion had always had good balance, and he landed perfectly upon his feet. He slashed at Nemesis, who ran up to attack. Nemesis parried and made a feit to his left. Orion moved his blade to counter, and when he did, Nemesis made a almost playful slash at his face. She left a cut across his check, prompting a cry of rage from Orion. Orion made a stab at Nemesis right cheek in revenge, and Nemesis recoiled from his blade, narrowly escaping Orion's blade.

She took several steps back, and Orion rushed up and began to furiously slash at her right, left, and overhead. Orion had his teeth showing in a human snarl, and a low growl was erupting from his throat. His rage had built up to a crescendo, and his heart was an inferno of power. His resolve had never before been stronger, and he fought like all the beasts of the Earth combined.

Nemesis somersaulted backward, landing on her feet maybe ten feet in front of Orion. She grinned at him as he stood there panting through his teeth, and seemed to relish the fury in his eyes.

"Come now, Orion. You know you could not possibly defeat me. I was responsible for giving you many of the abilities of a god. Do you really think you can harm your creator?"

Orion made another grow-like sound. Nemesis smiled wider.

"I am faster than you Orion...I am stronger than you...I am most certainly smarter than you."

"True, Nemesis, you have several advantages. But there is something I must ask you."

"And that is?"

"Are you just a fraction of how _pissed off I am right now!_"

With that, he made another rush. Nemesis shot forward and met his attack with expert skill. The two became almost like one creature, furiously scratching at itself. Most of those who were watching the battle had problems following the blows, and Artemis, who was slowly recovering from her wounds and weariness thanks to some ambrosia given to her by a huntress, had trouble seeing exactly what was going on.

Nemesis made a mid-air spin and slashed Orion's thigh, the seeming favorite way of wounding during this battle. But Orion did not seem to even notice, for he took advantage of this to deliver a nick to her mid-section. Nemesis, unlike Orion, screeched at the wound, and backed off to reorient herself.

Orion got to his feet, his leg oozing a strange type of blood, a type of red ichor. His mind was on but one thing however. Unbeknown to him, some muttering was being uttered due to his strange blood color. Thalia had limped next to Artemis and pointed it out.

"My lady, do you see his blood?" She whispered loudly.

"Yes Thalia, I do. It might just confirm what I feared."

"What?"

"He may have been made part-god. Not like a half-blood, but much more god-like. He may be immortal and he obviously has the power to make others immortal as well. But he still seems to have mortal blood in him, and so that is he still bleeds mostly red."

The battle between the two continued. Slash followed parry. Stab was met by a deflecting blow. And the two combatants fought each other with a passion so far not seen by any who witnessed it. Orion's snarl had not diminished, and neither had his will. Nemesis may be faster and stronger, but she lacked one thing that Orion had plenty of...willpower. And the one who loses his will to fight is the one who loses.

Nemesis screeched like a cat and then used a burst of power, smashing her fist into Orion's chest and sending him flying. he landed on the ground about a dozen feet away, and as he was picking himself up, Nemesis rushed at him.

And that was when a voice rose to prominence among the silent witnesses.

"Brothers, on me!"

Jason, the lieutenant of the Brotherhood Of The Hunt, rushed at Nemesis. Orion was still raising himself up as each of the brotherhood rushed at Nemesis, each making a stand to make sure that she would not get a chance at Orion. But try as they might, Nemesis was more powerful a fighter than most of even them.

The first one rushed her and made a slash at her head. She coolly ducked and smashed her elbow into the back of his head. There was a sickening crunch as he was thrown forward onto his face. The second attacked with a low blow to her mid-section. She slammed his blade down and gave him a vicious slash to the face, badly cutting him across the cheek. Another attacked, and another, and another. But before long, each of the brotherhood was down. Except one...

Jason attacked Nemesis with all his skill that he could bring, not realizing that this was the second time he had fought an immortal goddess for Orion's sake. Nemesis found that she could not use most of the skills she had used to beat the previous ones. Jason seemed like the skills of all the brotherhood united, and he fought her as almost an equal. But it was just that, almost.

Nemesis finally managed to lock his blade and swished it out of his hand. Then she delivered a charged thrust right into his abdominal area. Jason's air was blown out of his lungs as the cold metal shot through him, literally impaling him through his armor. Nemesis tore her blade out, and was soon faced with an Orion that was more ferocious and wild than she had seen before.

"_You will pay for that_!" He shrieked as he attacked. Nemesis was pushed back, forced to give ground before this assault. The sight of the boy whom he regarded as a son being stabbed by Nemesis awoken the beast within him, and the beast was thirsty for Nemesis's blood. The previous skill that Nemesis had been able to utilize so flawlessly went to the wind before the fury of Orion. Orion made a cleave with all his might, and Nemesis shrieked as her sword arm was cleaved off. Then, in another smooth motion, and before Nemesis could even collapse upon the bloody ground, he hacked the other off.

Nemesis now fell to her knees before him. She had ichor flowing from even her eyes, and the two bloody stump connected to her shoulders spurted the golden substance as well. She looked up and stared into Orion's eyes, fear finally touching her heart for the first time in centuries.

"Orion...I gave you the abilities of a god...please don't..."

"Yes, you did give me powers beyond that of a mortal. You also lied to me, tricked me into attacking the one I love, and now you have mortally wounded someone I looked upon as a son. And so in spite of that, I will do you this one favor."

"What?"

"I'll make it quick for you..."

Nemesis screamed as Orion hacked off her head. Her body glowed with bright light, and Orion, as well as everyone there, were forced to look away. When they looked again, her body was gone. As a goddess she could not die, but she could be forcibly vanquished for a while. Chances are they would not be seeing her for a while.

A gasp of pain caused Orion to run to a fallen figure upon the ground. Jason was laying there, the horrible wound that had peirced him straight through was bleeding horribly, and he was slightly convulsing. His vision was starting to dim but he saw Lord Orion's face as it appeared over him, and he felt a sense of calm that he was there. He reached out a hand, and Orion grasped it in a strong, fatherly grip.

"I did..I..I did good right? I did...I did..."

"Oh yes...son...you did very well. A hero worthy of the ages. I myself have never before seen so great a warrior. You are, and always will be, an inspiration to all of the brotherhood who will come after you...I wish I had the strength to try to heal you, but my godly powers are not strong enough for a wound such as this."

"But mine are," a strong feminine voice said.

Orion saw Artemis, who had fully recovered from her injuries and her weariness, stride boldly toward Jason. She knelt next to him and looked into his eyes, which the light of life was dying within.

"Do you trust me Jason?"

Jason looked toward Artemis and was shocked to see a sad smile on her. Apparently, his stand against Nemesis had touched her.

"Yes Artemis...(cough)...I do..."

"Then brace yourself. This is going to hurt."

Artemis held her hand to the gushing wound, and focused her powers, forcing the wound to mend itself. Jason screamed a scream that none in the brotherhood had ever even thought him capable of uttering. He thrashed weakly, and Orion had to hold him down to keep him still. Artemis focused and the wound healed more and more. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the wound was healed and Jason was calm. His eyes opened and he looked down to see the wound he received gone completely. He looked at Orion, who indicated Artemis. Jason turned back toward Artemis.

He stood up, not taking his eyes off of her. They stared at each other for a moment, two former enemies regarding each other. And then Jason gave a half-smile and a shrug.

"I guess I misunderstood you...Artemis. I geuss you were right after all."

Artemis gave a half-smile back and shrugged as well, imitating Jason.

"I guess it was likewise."

Jason turned back to Orion who told him to gather the wounded and get them to the medical tent. And he stressed that all the wounded were to be given shelter there, whatever their affiliation. Jason only bowed his head and gave the orders.

Orion turned back to Artemis and his face looked grim. He indicated an area out of the way from the camp, and they began to walk together away from the site of carnage, despite several nervous looks by both hunters and huntress.

Orion turned to make sure they were alone, and then stared into Artemis's eyes for the first time since he was forced to defend her from Nemesis. His eyes showed so much pain and sorrow, Artemis felt her heart melt looking within them.

"Artemis...my love...I cannot forgive myself for what I have done to you. I have led my Brotherhood in a war against you. I caused you to lose your sisters, and I caused you so much emotional pain..."

Artemis was slowly shaking her head in fear...was he planning on killing himself? Surely he could not possibly be considering it so?

"Orion, you were tricked by Nemesis and Kronos. Their lies filled you and fulfilled you. You did what you thought was right in that twisted state. I do not blame you for what has happened, for Nemesis was to blame for this war, and Nemesis for the deaths of both our brethren."

"But I was the instrument of destruction in this scheme. I cannot believe that I had done this, done this to you. The only thing I have ever loved...so much more beautiful than anything, on Olympus or Earth."

Artemis gave him a smile, though tears were forming in her eyes.

"Artemis..."

He fell to his knees in front of her and bowed his head, almost as if he were putting his life in her hands.

"You have retrieved your sword...if you will it...I will not resist your strike..."

Artemis felt her heart quicken. There was no way in the fires of Hades that this was going to happen.

"Orion, stand up," she said in her command voice.

Orion obeyed, but his eyes were on the ground.

"Look at me. In my eyes."

"I can't. I am not worthy to do so."

Artemis reached over and forcibly lifted his chin and made sure he was overwhelmed in his vision by her moonlight orbs. She kept her voice stern and resolute, as if chastising a member of the hunt or a small child, which seemed to her exactly what he was acting like. Men sometimes...

"You are not to kill yourself or inflict any kind of self-harm unto yourself. What happened these past few weeks was orchestrated by Nemesis, and will always be such. You were a manipulated tool of hers, and you redeemed it when you defended me and the rest of us from her, as well as your brotherhood. Do I make myself clear, Orion?"

Orion did not respond, his teary eyes only looking into Artemis's.

"Do I make myself clear?" Artemis said a little more forcefully.

"Perfectly...my lady."

She gently lowered her hand from his chin and stared into his eyes, not with commanding authority now, but something much more. Love was too strong a word to describe the bond between Artemis and Orion. She was the heart of the hunt, while he was it's soul.

Their faces slowly came closer and closer, until Artemis finally decided to have enough of waiting and brought her lips tight against his. She had not felt this way for over three thousand years. Her heart raced and she swore she could hear his as well. They broke apart, just enough to look into each other's eyes once again, and then closed the distance between themselves again, for they had not felt each other in thousands of years.

They remained there, for the remainder of the night. The passion flowed between them like no love that the world had felt. And while Artemis did not give up her maidenhood, the night was very much full of love.

-Mid morning-

"You do not need to do this, you know."

Artemis stood before Lord Orion, who had his gear strapped to his back and was ready for travel. Around them, the brotherhood stood ready, their own gear packed and ready. The huntresses formed a line of sorts down an old deer path that they would have to walk to get by them.

Orion only gave a sad smile as he watched the proceedings. The dead were given their ceremonial pyre, only this time, they were burned together. Hunter and brother were burned and sent to the underworld in one group, as the cause of the war was one of the biggest misunderstandings and engineered events those present will have ever experienced. And the survivors mourned as one.

Orion shook his head.

"We must find our way in this world Artemis. Our first goal was to destroy you and the hunt. But that clearly was not what what we truly wanted, noly put into us by lies and deceit. And so we must seek out our fortunes elsewhere."

Artemis only smiled.

"Besides, Artemis, I cannot be near you. You may have forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself, not yet. Therefore we will go our separate ways for the time being. But if the need ever arises...should you and the hunt or anyone you favor is in need of assistance or protection, all you must do is give us the message. And we _will _come to your aid."

"That is heart-warming to know Orion...I am overjoyed to have you back...my love."

There were some glances from the huntresses at this comment, but they were quickly forgotten as the brother hood began to walk down the path, toward their own destiny. The War Of The Hunters was over, but the story of the Brotherhood Of The Hunt was now beginning.

Orion watched them march for a moment, and then gave Artemis a last look. He strained with it, almost as if he were trying to brand her image into his mind. Then he smiled one last smile, the one she remembered and now could cherish anew.

"Farewell Artemis...may the fates grant us a crossing of paths soon."

He turned and began to walk away.

The line of boys marched down, flanked by the line of huntresses. Not a word was spoken between the two sides, but their were some nods and signs of some would calm"grudging respect" between the two former enemies. The line was interrupted only once, by the very last one in front of Orion.

At the head of the huntress's line was Thalia. As Jason passed by, he stopped and the two exchanged looks that no one could really describe. But a sort of "warrior to warrior" understanding passed between the two. Jason broke the silence with a single comment.

"You fight well...for a girl."

Thalia coolly fired back.

"You have a lot of guts...for a boy."

Jason and her stared at each other, until a Half-smile crossed Jason's features. He turned and began to walk dow the path with his brothers. As he walked away, a smile crossed Thalia's face as well.

_Maybe the future is never as bleak as it seems..._

**And so you have it...The War Of The Hunters...It has been incredible writing this. I have gotten so much praise and such, that I really do not know where to begin. Here are just a few.**

_**Storm-brain**_**: You have been a great reviewer and made many a good CC. I am grateful that you have enjoyed it.**

_**Theia 47**_**: The so called "heart-less flamer" seems to have a heart after all...just kidding Theia...but when the harsh critics like it, I geuss I did something right.**

_**Xed Alpha**_**: The god of fanfiction left me a review saying it was a truly epic story. And if that kind of FF writer says it's good...well, nuff said.**

_**ArtemisFrimm**_**: Was with me from start to finish. My thanks for your consistent support**

_**Lieutenant of Artemis**_**: Same as above. Great supporter and reviewer.**

_**KrspaceT**_**: Great supporter. My thanks for your continued support.**

** Also thanks to **_**Lord Zill**_**, **_**Hades Boy**_**, **_**Emily a Huntress of Artemis**_**...And so many more! I simply cannot list you all, so sorry if I don't credit you. You all gave me the motivation to keep the story going. You are, quite simply, what keeps writers writing.**

** It seems that I was nominated for a Verita Award...so if you want to vote for me, go ahead, I most certainly would not disagree. But if you even took the time to read and review, then I am thankful no matter what.**

** I have posted the Sequel for everyone to enjoy... **

** To be continued in **_Brotherhood Of The Hunt_.


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